We Could Never Be
by Short-circuit-Soulmate
Summary: Hermione is in a comfortable relationship with Ron, but lusts after Draco. Will one passion filled day with him alleviate her feelings, or deepen them? What happens when it sparks a fire inside Draco himself?
1. Lust or Love?

As Hermione stared into blue eyes, she could quite easily lose herself. They did not belong to the person she wanted them to, but they were close enough. Slightly greyer and you might almost think you were looking into the eyes of-

Ron broke her out of her thoughts by placing a gentle kiss on her nose.

"What's wrong Mione? You looked like you were somewhere else for a while there." She smiled at him. He was gentle with her, caring about what she thought if she was upset. She knew she would marry Ron one day. But despite that thought, a certain person was always at the back of her mind.

"Nothing, Ron. I was just thinking of NEWTS. Wondering what my results will be..." She smiled sheepishly as Ron shook his head, smiling also. He would expect that to be on her mind.

"Typical Mione," he said, a loving smile still planted on his face, "Just relax, we've only got a few weeks left of school. Enjoy it." He kissed her on the top of her head and turned to Harry who was deep in conversation with Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas about Quidditch.

Hermione thought about what Ron had said. Only a few weeks left of school, soon they would be out in the real world. She may not see many of her classmates again. She definitely wouldn't see _him_ again.

She stared across the hall at the Slytherin table. Draco Malfoy, the cold hearted, arrogant, obnoxious, insufferable... undeniably handsome-

This time she cut off her own thoughts, but continued to peek under her lashes while stirring her porridge. The git had somehow made frequent visits into her thoughts, and Hermione hated it. Something had changed recently, she still hated him, that was a fact; but Hermione found something beginning to form behind the hate, a warm feeling that she felt whenever she looked at him.

It had started after Harry defeated Voldemort just a couple of months before. Draco's father had been locked away in Azkaban, and without the impending doom of having to serve a muggle-hating psychopath, Draco had begun to relax more. It seemed like she was the only one who had noticed, or maybe not, but she was the only one who was captivated by it.

She'd never really seen Draco Malfoy laugh before. She had heard him snigger and chuckle evilly, but never laugh out of happiness. Now he did. He was still as arrogant and pompous as ever, of course, he wouldn't be Malfoy otherwise, but now he seemed to be less two-dimensional.

It started with her watching him out of curiosity, then interest, then infatuation, and now she was sure she couldn't take her eyes off him for more than one minute. She hated herself for it. For thinking these thoughts while her perfect boyfriend was sitting next to her. Ron was ideal for her, and Malfoy was so wrong, and for that she wanted him badly. If only to quench the thirst, just to see what it was like.

She peeked around her table guiltily; thank goodness no one could hear her thoughts. They would probably choke on their breakfast if they heard her thinking like that, of course she could hardly believe she was thinking like that; but then again, she was a teenager with hormones, and Malfoy just happened to have a great affect on said hormones.

She allowed herself one more peek over at the Slytherin table; there he was with Blaise Zabini on one side and Pansy Parkinson, his girlfriend, on the other. He seemed to be telling them a story of some kind, Pansy was giggling uncontrollably and Blaise nearly spat his pumpkin juice at the person across from him while trying to hold in his laughter. Draco laughed at this, his eyes sparkling. Hermione looked closer at his eyes. She could see how she always thought of his eyes when looking at Ron's. They both reminded her of the sky; Ron's on a sunny day, Draco's on a stormy day. It matched them both perfectly.

Hermione was so deep in thought she didn't notice when the eyes she was so focused on became focused on her own. After a few seconds of staring at each other, Hermione noticed. Draco was looking at her with an amused look on his face and a raised eyebrow. She felt her stomach flutter at his attention but quickly looked down to her cold porridge, blushing. This didn't deter Draco's stare though, he had simply rested his chin on one hand, making himself comfortable while never taking an eye off her.

Hermione could feel his eyes on her, unnerving her. Eventually her head shot up and she narrowed her eyes at the silver haired boy. He simply feigned an innocent expression, while continuing to stare at her. His companions were too busy talking to even notice the silent exchange happening across the room.

Out of stubbornness, Hermione crossed her arms on the table in front of her, her eyes still meeting his. She was determined not to let him win. She wouldn't let him know the effect it had on her. Draco seemed just as determined to win, and unnerve her in any way it seemed.

His tongue slid out of his mouth and traced his bottom lip. Hermione's eyes, much to her attempts at self-control, followed its every move. It took only seconds for the sight of Malfoy seductively licking his lips at her to hypnotise her. She was no longer aware of the people around her, just the beautiful boy across the room.

Moments passed with Hermione watching those lips, that tongue...her own mouth had parted slightly at the sight. She was mesmerized.

Then the sight was gone.

She looked back to the rest of Malfoy's face. He looked pleased with himself, and he was smirking at her. Hermione blushed again; this seemed to satisfy him more as he began grinning. One of his newly found grins. Hermione tried to hold in a smile which crept to her face, but much to her chagrin, was unsuccessful. She looked down, forcing it off her face.

She should not be smiling at Draco Malfoy.

She looked beside her, and relaxed. No one had seen that, thank god. They were all still arguing over the best Quidditch teams. She looked back over to Malfoy who was still smiling at her, but he looked deep in thought. His wand was in his hands. A second later he pointed down toward his own bowl, and then gestured to hers with a quick nod.

Hermione gave him a strange look, but nevertheless looked down at her bowl. The sultanas she had added to her porridge spelled out a messy, three worded message, 'Lake in 10?' Hermione's eyes widened.

He wanted to meet her at the lake in ten minutes? She couldn't believe it. Why would he want to meet her? Explanations flooded her mind; they ranged from evil, to just plain wishful thinking. It was a Sunday, and Harry and Ron were about to go have a casual game of Quidditch. All her plans involved for the day were reading in the library. She felt guilt at the pit of her stomach.

Meeting Malfoy, no matter what he wanted, was wrong. But this might be her only chance to speak to him properly before they went their separate ways. She wasn't sure why it was so important to her, but something told her she should go, the devil on her shoulder she assumed.

She looked back up to gray, questioning eyes, and all her doubts were gone. She gave a quick nod to Malfoy, and turned to those next to her.

"Ron?" he turned from his friends to look at her, smiling. "I'm going to head off now, but have a good game. I'll see you later, alright?" She smiled as he said a quick goodbye and kissed her on the cheek. Hermione got up and strode out the doors of the Great Hall, heading in the direction of the lake. Across the room Draco Malfoy left his friends and headed in the same direction only 5 minutes later.

Hermione sat on the lake shore, leaning against one of the large rocks scattered along it. The weather outside was not the best. It was overcast and stormy. The wind was blowing her hair back; she closed her eyes breathing it in.

_What are you doing, Hermione?_ The guilt in the pit of her stomach fought her again. _You lied to Ron just so you could meet Malfoy. That's not like you. You're supposed to be honest and loyal._

She looked down ashamed at her own thoughts, and considered leaving, when the crunch of footsteps on the rocky shore grabbed her attention. Draco Malfoy stood there looking down at her.

"Well, well, Granger. Fancy seeing you here," A small smile played on his lips. Hermione smiled back reluctantly.

"What it is that you wanted to talk about Malfoy?" Hermione hoped her fake innocence would help alleviate some of the guilt. Malfoy wasn't easily fooled. He tilted his head the side and gave her a knowing look.

"I think you know, Granger," She swallowed nervously as he made himself comfortable beside her, leaning his back against the same rock, his arms resting on his bent legs.

"You've become quite interested in 'studying' me over the last few months," he looked pointedly at her, "I've noticed."

Hermione blushed slightly and swallowed nervously. So now he thought she was obsessed with him. How embarrassing...no matter how true it may be. The realisation that she was in fact obsessed made her blush even more.

"I've just noticed a change in you, that's all." She tried to keep her voice as confident as possible, but her nerves could be clearly heard through it.

"I see. And who are you to have noticed a change? We've barely spoken in our seven years here." Hermione became defensive.

"Look," She shot to her feet glaring at the blond boy who was still sitting comfortably, "if you just came to make me feel like an obsessed idiot, then I'm leaving." She turned and began to walk the other way, her feet crunching along the shore, leaving Draco to watch her go.

How could she have been so naive? He was right; she didn't know him in the first place to make judgements about who he was now. From the way he treated her just now, he was still the same condescending, arrogant prat he always was.

She wasn't sure why that thought hurt her so much, but it did. He would never be hers anyway. Ron was perfect for her, comfortable and safe. That thought depressed her even more. She couldn't get rid of the need for Malfoy, though; she still needed to extinguish the longing for him. Suddenly, an idea came to her.

Hermione had been walking briskly in a random direction when she left Malfoy. She hadn't realised it was toward the Forbidden Forest until she stood at the opening between several tall, green trees. She tried to peak through them, but it was too thick to see anything but black.

"Granger, what _are_ you doing?" Malfoy stood about 20 feet away; he started to walk toward her. "Don't even think of going in there, because if you get attacked by a werewolf, don't think I'm saving your life. A Malfoy only looks out for himself, you know." He crossed his arms. He was now only standing a couple of feet away from her.

"Oh please, Malfoy. That just gives me more incentive to go in there; it's the one place I'm certain you won't be! Now, if you'll excuse me." She turned toward the forest and entered through the trees, breaking into a run.

"Bloody hell, Granger!" She heard Malfoy call from outside the thick trees. She then heard him begin to run in after her, "Granger! If you die, I'm going to get the blame for not saving you! Stop being an idiot!"

Hermione smirked. Little did Malfoy know, she knew _exactly_ where she was going.

She ran for what seemed like hours, with Malfoy on her trail not far behind, until she came to an opening in the trees. She stopped, just in time to hear Malfoy trip over a fallen branch not far away and curse loudly.

The opening was completely bare of trees; instead it was curtained by the branches around it. The sunlight shone through in random streams, lighting it up in comparison to the forest around it. In the middle was a small, deep pond, surrounded by beautiful white flowers. The ground surrounding it was covered in fallen leaves. Hermione had found this spot in her fourth year, and she often snuck here to read in peace, after performing the proper charms against the forest creatures, of course.

"Granger, you complete mental case!" Hermione was torn from her thoughts by the sound of Malfoy approaching from behind. "Don't think that just because I followed you in here that I care whether you live or d-," He cut off his rant when he looked in front of him.

"How did you find this place?" He asked moving forward toward the pond.

"I come here to read sometimes. It's my favourite spot at Hogwarts, not including the library." She looked sheepishly at his smirking face.

"No surprises there, Granger. Wait a sec...If you knew this place was here, that means...That means you lured me here!" He looked at her, slightly outraged.

It was Hermione's turn to smirk now, "5 points to Malfoy for using his brain." She said sarcastically. He scowled at her.

"I certainly wouldn't have picked you for the type, but I'd be lying if I said I'm not impressed though." He stood three feet away from her, still admiring the surroundings. He suddenly turned to her, a wary look on his face. "I just hope you didn't bring me here to murder me."

Hermione had to laugh at that. "Like I would go to Azkaban just so I could murder you, however tempting it is that's not why."

He relaxed and let out an exaggerated breath. "Well that's a relief. So why am I here? Let me guess, you wanted to get a little _naughty_ with me, so you dragged me here away from prying eyes, and your clingy boyfriend, so you could take advantage of me." He finished this with a triumphant grin, clearly hoping to get a heated reaction from her.

Hermione looked him in the eye, her face holding a mischievous smile. "Actually, that's exactly right. Another five points to Malfoy, you're good at this." She winked at him. _Oh god, since when do I wink? _Hermione forced herself to relax, for today, she was someone else.

The look on Malfoy's face was priceless. His grin faltered and faded and his eyes widened at what she had just said. "What?" He looked like he was about to faint. Hermione had to stifle a laugh.

"I said," she stepped toward him slowly, "That's exactly right."

There was a small silence for a few seconds as Malfoy regained his composure. Once relaxed he spoke again.

"Don't you have a boyfriend, Granger? _Weasley,_" He spat the name, "if I'm not mistaken?" He crossed his arms.

"Correct." Hermione said, not giving anything away.

"And you realise I have a girlfriend?" He raised an eyebrow, still not believing what was happening.

"I do. Are you saying you have too much of a conscience, Malfoy? If so, we can go." She turned to walk away, but knew that her comment would snare him.

"I have nothing of the kind." He said quickly, grabbing her by the shoulders and turning her toward him. Before Hermione could speak, Draco's lips crushed hers frantically. Seconds later he softened the kiss, massaging her mouth with his own; his tongue entered her mouth, and met her own. Hermione let out a soft moan.

One of his hands grasped her hair at the back of her head, while the other ran down her back and pulled her closer. Hermione had already ravelled her arms around his neck forcing them as close as they would go. They broke apart and gasped for breath, Draco's eyes were glazed over as he stared at her. He kissed her again, this time less frantically. Hermione felt her conscience and willpower leave her, thinking only of the boy in her arms. No one else existed at this moment.

They broke apart once again and stared at each other for a few seconds. Hermione grabbed the bottom of her shirt and lifted it over her head. She was now standing there in her bra and skirt. Draco's eyes followed the length of her body, he reached out to hold her again but saw that she was also slipping her skirt off. He breathed heavily as he watched it shimmy down her waist.

Hermione walked toward the pond. Her back was turned to Draco but he watched every move intently. She unclipped her bra at the back, and let it fall gingerly to the ground. She then pulled her knickers down over her hips, and let them slip down her legs. Draco's breath caught in his throat as he saw her naked body. She was magnificent. He memorised every curve, before she dove into the pond.

She resurfaced seconds later and brushed her hair out of her face with her hands, looking at him expectantly. He strode over to the edge of the pond, while unbuttoning his shirt. It slipped off his shoulders and Hermione took in his muscular chest; he was the most perfect thing she'd ever seen. She couldn't believe she was doing this, but every time she looked at him her doubt was quashed.

He eventually ridded himself of his clothing and dove in, surfacing a few inches in front of Hermione. They were now face to face, with nothing between them any longer. Draco raised his hand and brushed it along her cheek, following the line of her jaw, then down her shoulder and eventually to her hip, which he tightened his grip on as he pulled her toward him.

She could feel his body against hers. Every muscle and every movement was felt by her skin. His rapid heartbeat matched her own. He leaned down to kiss her again. This time the kiss was slow, tender, and gentle. Hermione laced her arms around his head as he deepened the kiss, and they tried to get as close as possible with one another.

Minutes later they broke apart, and looked each other in the eye, their noses still touching. Hermione could feel his warm breath on her face, and it was intoxicating.

Draco's hand ran down her hip to her thigh, he brought it up around his waist, the other followed automatically. He waded over to the edge of the pond and leaned Hermione against it. In one second, the two became one. They both knew there was no going back from this.

Exactly one week after the incident in question, Hermione was sitting at the Gryffindor table, once again stirring her porridge mindlessly. It was early and there were only a few people up already, she had left before the others awoke. She needed to think.

Hermione was confused, angry, and depressed all at once.

She was sure that day with Draco would have helped her forget him; it was only lust after all. She was sure of it, or at least she used to be sure of it. She was certain one experience would alleviate her attraction towards him, but it had in fact made it worse.

She remembered back to that day. After they had made love, they lay under the trees on a conjured blanket, surrounded in flowers. She remembers how they had made love countless times more. She remembered him holding her in his arms as she rested against his chest. They seemed to get along in that moment, laughing about things and talking like they were lovers, friends, not enemies, not strangers. It was at that moment that Hermione's doubts about Draco had been proven wrong; he _had_ changed, but he was still the same. The funny thing was she didn't mind that, and actually came to like it.

As the day wore on, they lay there, still. They had performed charms to hide from the forest creatures and to keep them away, and as they stared up at the sun moving in the sky the forest got darker and darker. Dragonflies had come out and were flying above them, she remember how one had landed on Draco's nose while his eyes were closed.

She found herself smiling at the memory. She realised her mistake and quashed the feeling, looking around to make sure no one was watching. _Look at yourself, Hermione. You're turning into a nervous wreck. If you had nothing to hide you'd have nothing to feel guilty about._

Hermione had come to a realisation. It wasn't the change in Draco that made her attracted to him; it was his changes that had made her notice him more, and look at him in a different light. She was sure the attraction was always there, but it had always been laced with hate and resentment.

The moment she looked at him with more than just a scowl, or to retort to a rude comment, was the day she could pin point as her down-fall. She was scared, because she no longer hated him. She just wanted him even more than she had before.

She remembered leaving the forest that afternoon. Draco had kissed her goodbye and ran toward the castle, a leaf still in his hair. She felt free that day, she felt like her plan had worked. That she had quenched her thirst for him, but she was wrong.

As the days wore on, she found herself thinking about him even more. The way he kissed, touched, the way he had breathed her name right next to her ear as they made love. The thoughts made her stomach do flips. She knew she was in love with him. The guilt ate away at her.

_I've just made everything worse._ She let her head fall in her hands. Her breathing increased in pace, she felt herself on the verge of a panic attack. She hadn't realised that the hall was now filling up with late rising students.

"Mione? Are you ok?" It was Ron. She turned to look at him, he was eyeing her with a concerned look on his face, his hand found its way to her shoulder.

_Oh god. He still looks at me like I'm the most perfect thing. I don't deserve him. Not at all._

Harry was next to Ron now, also looking concerned. "Hermione, what's wrong? You don't look well..."

She simply sat there staring at Ron, her thoughts running a million miles an hour through her head.

_Please just realise on your own that I'm not worth it. Stop looking at me like that. Why do you have to love me so much?_

Across the hall the Slytherin table was filling up. Draco was seated between his girlfriend and Blaise. He was buttering a piece of toast, while his fellow Slytherins chatted amongst themselves. He let his eyes wander the hall. The Hufflepuff table was boring as ever, so he quickly lost focus on that. The Ravenclaw table was much the same. _Bloody hell, doesn't anyone at this school do anything interesting?_ His eyes then fell on the Gryffindor table, or on three Gryffindors in particular, The Golden Trio.

Something seemed to be wrong between them. Weasley and Potter were staring at Hermione, their faces filled with worry. Hermione looked shaken, guilty, upset.

Draco bit into his toast. He wasn't surprised she was feeling that way after what happened last week. He had known it was just a lack of judgement on her part, a moment of insanity, and that she had probably been sick with guilt all week. He, on the other hand, had not felt guilt at all. Sure he was with Pansy, but that was more a relationship of convenience, than passion, at least in his opinion anyway.

He was betrothed to Pansy since they were little, no point in fighting the inevitable, but it doesn't mean he could have fun along the way, right?

Hermione was definitely what he called fun. He loved that she was passionate, loyal and-

_Did you just say you loved something about Granger? Dear god, you're losing it._

He thought for a second while staring at the girl across the room. The annoying thing was he didn't feel loathing toward her anymore. Just an urge to take her on the table here and now, he didn't care who was watching.

He shifted in his seat and looked around._ That's it. I'm definitely bloody losing it._

It was supposed to be just sex. Just a onetime thing, nothing more, but he still wanted her with a burning passion that went right through him. She was supposed to just be another victory, another notch on his belt, he was supposed to just get what he wanted from her and that would be it.

The thing was, it wasn't as simple as that. Since that day with Hermione-_Why are you still calling her by her first name? _Since that day with _Granger,_ he had been turning down Pansy's advances on a regular basis. He had also turned down a couple of Ravenclaws, one other Slytherin, and a Hufflepuff. Though he would have turned the Hufflepuff down regardless, but still, this was unusual for him.

_Perhaps I need to be with her a few more times, maybe then I'll get bored and I can go back to normal?_

That sounded like a good plan. He wouldn't mind sleeping with her a few more times. That had to be it; he just wanted to conquer her a few more times. She had always been untouchable, the one he wasn't supposed to have. That's why he still wanted her. That was definitely it._ If you say so_. He looked back over at her, she was standing up speaking something to her to idiotic friends, she was smiling the most pathetic excuse for a fake smile ever and then she left, leaving the two boys looking at each other concerned. They didn't go after her though; they just shrugged and sat down, digging into their breakfast.

Malfoy on the other hand abandoned his breakfast, and sauntered casually out the hall. He was about to do some propositioning of a certain Gryffindor. She wouldn't resist him though, who could possibly resist him?


	2. Rejection and Discoveries

Hermione walked swiftly down the corridors. As head girl, she was a strict follower of the rules, even if she felt like she might faint any second now. She had told Harry and Ron that she was feeling ill, it wasn't a lie, but she didn't tell them the cause of her illness: guilt.

She was heading towards the Heads common room that she shared with Ernie McMillan, she had decided to sit in her room and figure out her thoughts for a while. Ron and Harry had agreed since they were once again playing Quidditch with a few others, she just hoped they wouldn't come looking for her; she could barely look either of them in the eye.

She finally came to the portrait in front of the head dorms. It was a forest nymph sitting on the back of a unicorn, surrounded by trees.

"Password?" The nymph asked in a very soft, sweet voice. The unicorn began grazing on the grass beneath.

"Aqueous Animus," The portrait swung open and she ducked through the opening, swinging it shut; she didn't notice that it took longer to close than usual.

She made her way toward her room, but was stopped in her tracks by a drawling voice.

"Well hello, Granger, you let me in here but plan on being antisocial? Wouldn't have picked you for that," He smiled at her as she turned around.

"Malfoy, what the heck are you doing in here? Did you sneak in behind me? That's against the rules, I could take house points you know." She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes determinedly trying not to let his smile weaken her common sense.

"Oh, so you're calling me Malfoy again? That's a shame, I quite liked the way it crossed your lips when you were moaning my name." He sauntered towards her, stopping mere inches from her face. He brought his hand up to her cheek and brushed his thumb along it softly. "I liked it very much, _Hermione_."

She tried not to let him get to her, but it was no use. Her breathing sped up, and her heart beat increased. She was starting to blush, but suddenly common sense came back to hit her like a slap in the face.

"Stop it!" She hit his hand away with her own, "That was a mistake. I-I wasn't thinking straight, and now I am, and I feel horrible for it." Her voice cracked on the last few words, and she looked down to her feet.

Draco couldn't explain the feeling that went through him at that moment, but he reached out and touched her face again. He convinced himself it was all to do with his plan of getting her into bed. He certainly had to smooth talk her if he wanted any chance of that happening again. Yes, that's all it was._ You keep telling yourself that._

Hermione refused to look at him, he held her chin and attempted to lift her head, she wouldn't move. "Look at me," He whispered, she surrendered and raised her head, but her eyes were closed.

He leaned forward, taking advantage of his control, and pressed his lips softly against hers. Her eyes shot open at that point, and she backed away, falling back onto the couch. She stared at him wide eyed.

"What are you trying to do to me? Does this amuse you, to mess with me?" She looked on the verge of an emotional breakdown.

"Stop feeling guilty about it. I know you don't want to be with Weasley," he walked and sat on the seat across from her.

"What would you know about Ron and I? He loves me."

Draco tilted his head to the side, "Perhaps so, but you don't love him, otherwise that day would never have happened. You wouldn't be trying to keep yourself away from me." He leaned back, satisfied with what he had said.

"I-you-I won't hurt him again. I was selfish, I didn't think of him. No matter what I feel for anyone else, Ron is good for me. I can't hurt him." She looked at her feet so she didn't have to face his piercing eyes.

"As much as I'd love to see the look on Weasley's face if he found out the number of ways I did you," she grimaced, while he smiled at the memory, "I'm not suggesting that you hurt him. I can keep a secret, but I do feel like we have something good going here." He waved his hand between the two of them casually.

She looked at him, her brows furrowing in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"We both want each other, in a purely physical way of course. I have a proposition for you Granger. We have 7 weeks of school left until we graduate and go our separate ways, correct?"

"Correct," she confirmed, sounding mildly interested, and a little confused.

"And we both have significant others that we are obligated to be with, correct?"

"Yes, that's correct Malfoy, but what are you getting at?" She was losing her patience.

"I propose that you and I conduct a secret relationship lasting until graduation, after which we both go our separate ways. We both want each other because it's so wrong, but I think by that time it'll be out of our systems, and then we can forget it ever happened."

Hermione looked at him with disbelief. "You want a relationship with me?"

"Well purely physical, since that's what we both seem to want. You especially." He smirked, remembering how much she had wanted it. She blushed.

Hermione was thinking. She couldn't get any closer to him, and that's all the last time seemed to do. She couldn't be certain she would be able to part from him if she had him for so long. No, she wouldn't do it. She couldn't do that to Ron, not again.

"I'm sorry, Malfoy. But I don't want that; now please leave before Ernie gets back from breakfast." She kept her tone as cool as possible.

Draco felt his stomach sink a little, but brushed it off. He couldn't hide the disappointment from himself, but he was certain to hide it from her.

He simply shrugged, "Suit yourself, Granger. But if that's the case, stop leering at me from now on." His face contorted back into his old scowl, and he walked out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

Hermione sat there, staring at nothing. Saying no to him was the hardest thing, but she had to do it. She couldn't lose her self control.

Several days after the encounter with Malfoy, things were tense. She hadn't felt as close to Ron as usual, so she had avoided her two best friends by spending most of her time in the library, which was when she wasn't doing her rounds or other duties as head girl.

She wasn't sure why Ron hadn't been more intent on finding her and demanding an explanation, especially since they hadn't been together for more than 5 minutes at a time in the past few days.

She still saw him in classes, but during that time she was too busy concentrating on the professors to talk much. She was also curious as to why he hadn't tried to find her so they could sneak off for some 'private time'. They had only taken their relationship to that level a few months before, and since then he had wanted to be with her that way as often as possible, but at the moment, he hadn't even asked. Strange.

She pushed the thought out of her mind and closed her large book. She had been in the library for the last few hours doing her homework, after she finished that it had only been 7pm, so she decided to stay a little longer and read for a while. She looked up at the clock on the wall next to her, it was now 9pm.

She packed up her books and parchments and stuffed them in her bag, pulling it onto her shoulder. It was so heavy she swayed a little while trying to recover her leverage. She looked around; the library was empty except for a couple of Ravenclaws who she knew were studying for an upcoming test. She remembered that Ernie would be finishing his rounds in about half an hour, maybe she'd go and help him.

After dropping her bag off in the common room, she began to walk down one of the dark corridors. No students were allowed out at this time, except for those who got a note to be at the library. The corridors were silent, the only noise coming from her light footsteps on the stone.

She had been walking for at least five minutes and had covered only one corridor. Ernie wasn't there, so she had decided to turn and take the long way back to the Heads common room. She rounded a corner when she heard the whispering of two voices, a girl was giggling. She walked in the direction of the commotion, only to hear a third voice suddenly speak up over the two, it was much louder than the other two and Hermione recognised it as Ernie's.

Happy to have finally tracked him down, she walked towards the voices and could see he was reprimanding two students who were clearly seeking private time in a small alcove hidden in the wall.

"-out of bed, let alone doing this. You know I live with Hermione, I can't just keep this from her, you're putting me in a horrible position!"

Hermione had been approaching a few feet away in the shadows, when she heard her name mentioned.

"Know what, Ernie?" She approached, looking at him, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Ernie's head shot toward her voice and he stepped back awkwardly, revealing the students in the alcove.

Ron and Lavender.

Their hair was messy, and their shirts had been hastily buttoned up, with buttons in the wrong holes. Ron looked at her, a look of shock, guilt and remorse on his face. Lavender looked at her feet, not wanting to meet Hermione's eyes. No wonder he hadn't been hassling her for sex.

Hermione was shocked, she felt her stomach get heavy. "Ron? Lavender? What-why-," she couldn't finish her sentence and could feel the tears coming so she ran as fast as she could to her room in the head dorms, Ron had chased her there, but she made it into the portrait just in time to slam it in his face.

She knew she was being a hypocrite, but she still felt betrayed. She never imagined Ron to do something like that, or Lavender. They were supposed to be her friends. _Boyfriend. He was your boyfriend, Hermione._ Same thing. They had made a promise as friends to be loyal and they'd betrayed it. _You betrayed it long before he had. Maybe you were just supposed to be friends, not lovers. You rarely even acknowledge him as your boyfriend._

She sat down, feeling guilty, but slightly relieved that she wasn't as hurt anymore. Almost feeling relieved, her tears had dried up. She wasn't the only one in the wrong now.

She thought for several minutes. Her and Ron were always friends, and would always be, he was a constant in her life, just like Harry, just like books and a love for knowledge. When someone described her, those things were her description. She still felt mad at him, but then again, she was always mad at him for something, it's the way they had been since the day they'd met and she'd pompously told him his spell sucked. She couldn't help but smile at the memory, she was fairly stuck-up and pompous in her first year, and they'd still been her friends anyway.

The word 'pompous' brought her thoughts to a certain blond haired Slytherin, who was practically the definition of the word. She groaned at herself for letting them trail there, especially in this situation.

She decided sleep would be best, so wandered into her room and lay on her bed; surprisingly she got more sleep tonight than she had in the past week.


	3. Apologies and Propositions

Hermione made her way down to breakfast the next morning feeling cheery, completely forgetting the events of last night. That is until she entered the great hall and all eyes turned to her. Ernie had made the mistake of telling his Hufflepuff girlfriend, Sarah Bradshaw, what had taken place last night and it seems the whole school was now aware.

Hermione walked to her regular seat at the Gryffindor table, across from Harry and Ron. Harry looked nervously between the two, and Ron watched Hermione, obviously waiting for an inevitable outburst. The Gryffindor table, and the whole hall, for that matter, were clearly waiting for the same thing, but it never came.

Hermione picked up a piece of toast, and smiled at Neville who was glancing at her from the seat next to her. She was feeling good after her night's sleep, not to mention the fact that her guilt was less prominent in her mind, and she almost felt grateful to Ron for alleviating it. She looked up to her two best friends, who were still watching her with unease. She simply grinned, and Ron began to choke on his eggs. Harry patted him on the back and Hermione handed him his goblet of pumpkin juice.

"Be careful, Ron. You always eat too fast." She shook her head smiling; one thing about Ron was that he certainly ate like an animal.

"Hermione?" Ron choked out between coughs, the pumpkin juice was sitting untouched in his hand.

"Mhmm?" She answered with a mouth full of toast.

"Um, well," he looked toward Harry for confirmation, "aren't you, you know, wanting to punch me in the face? Wishing I was trampled by a horde of wild Hippogriffs? Hoping I accidently drank Draught of Living Death? Hoping I'd-"

Harry cut off his nervous rant, "I think what Ron's _trying_ to say is, aren't you mad at him?"

Hermione swallowed her toast and looked thoughtful for a second, "No, I'm not mad. But I would like to talk to you if that's ok, Ron?"

Ron let out a relieved breath that it seemed he was holding for a while, "Of course, Mione. We'll be back in a sec, Harry." Harry nodded and turned to his breakfast as the two got up and walked to the corridor outside the great hall, most of the people in the hall were too enthralled in breakfast, but a few still watched them, particularly a pair of silver-grey eyes.

Hermione and Ron stopped in the corridor, she opened her mouth to speak, but Ron beat her to it.

"Hermione, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I never meant for it to happen, it just sort of did. I mean, I love you, but...but I think I like her too, Lavender I mean. Please don't be mad at me, Harry already bit my head off about it. Please forgive me, Hermione." He looked into her eyes, pleading.

Hermione shifted on her feet awkwardly. He was asking for her forgiveness? She had been disloyal first; she couldn't possibly _not_ forgive him, when she was just as bad. She wanted to anyway. She knew this situation happened for the best.

"Ron, you don't need to ask for my forgiveness. I know you wouldn't have meant to hurt me, and I know you love me...but maybe this happened for the best. Maybe we were only ever meant to be friends...I think if you like Lavender you should be with her. We can go back to being friends." She smiled trying to ease the shocked look that suddenly adorned his features.

"You...you want me to be with Lavender? I don't understand. I still want to be with you, Hermione. I don't want to go back to being just friends." He ran a hand through his red hair, his brows were furrowed and he looked as though he might be sick.

Hermione felt the guilt again. Why did she always have to feel guilt?

"I know, Ron. I know. I just think maybe it's not the time for us. Maybe when...when we graduate it'll be the right time for us?" She was grasping at straws. She hating planting false hope into his heart, but it was worth it when the sad look on his face eased slightly. She knew there would never be a good time for her and Ron to be more than friends, her time lately had made her realise that. A certain person made her realise that. Hopefully some time dating other girls would let him see that too. It didn't seem to ease the fight in him though.

"Hermione, graduation is only a few weeks away. What difference could it possibly make to us? To me?"

She hesitated. To be honest, she wasn't sure. All she knew is she needed her time. He also needed some time, he would realise they were wrong for each other eventually right?

"I...I just need some time Ron. And I think you need to decide what you really want..._who _you really want. You should spend some time with Lavender; see if there's anything there. Then we'll see what happens. Ok?" She tried to comfort him with a smile and a hand on his shoulder. He hesitantly agreed, but still looked a little disappointed.

"We better finish breakfast, Potions starts in 5 minutes." That seemed to get Ron's attention, and so they both walked back into the hall to finish breakfast.

Draco had heard a rumour going around about the dramatic breakup of Weasley and Granger, and he didn't know about anyone else, but he welcomed it. Perhaps she would change her mind about his offer? He had been in a bad mood ever since she'd turned him down, everyone had noticed, or at least most of the Slytherins had been avoiding him like the plague. Then again, that was never an unusual occurrence.

He had watched Ron and Hermione leave the hall five minutes ago, and his eyes had been fixed on the door ever since. They suddenly walked back in. He examined their behaviour toward each other. It looked slightly tense. They walked side by side in silence, neither was smiling. _Excellent. Seems the rumours were true. _Now all he had to do was talk to Hermione; that would prove difficult since he barely ever saw her alone.

The hall started to empty, as people headed to their first class of the day. Hermione walked next to Harry and Ron down to the potions dungeon. They had potions with the Slytherins that morning, and Hermione was dreading it. Her stomach twisted with anxiety. She decided that walking with her head down would allow her to avoid the unsettling gaze of Malfoy as she entered the classroom. After peeking up, she was glad to see he wasn't there yet, and she allowed herself to relax slightly, sitting next to harry and Ron at the back of the classroom.

She pulled out her quill, ink and parchment from her bag, then sat it under her feet. It was when she looked up she noticed the silver haired boy occupying the seat directly across the aisle. _Oh bloody hell. _Malfoy gave her a quick nod, before tossing her a scrunched up piece of paper.

She caught it in one hand and looked next to her to see Harry with his head buried in his bag, Ron was on the other side with his head resting on his hands, half asleep. She unrolled the ball of paper, the elegant writing read:

_Meet me by the lake tonight, after dinner. Don't make me ask twice, Granger._

Hermione rolled her eyes. Who did he think he was, trying to push her around? She turned and sent him a glare; he nodded, somehow taking the gesture as confirmation that she would meet him. _That git. _She was starting to wish she didn't like him so much, life would be so much easier. But alas, Hermione was already in too deep, no amount of logic and reasoning would help her on this matter.

That thought panicked her slightly.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by Slughorn entering the classroom; she spent the rest of the lesson focusing on her notes, trying not to pay attention to the bright splash of blonde hair she could see out of the corner of her eye.

At the end of her lessons that day, Hermione was thoroughly exhausted. She had taken twice as many notes in an attempt to stop herself from getting distracted by Malfoy, and also so that she didn't have to have too much of an in-depth conversation with Ron, who seemed to be sulking.

She was relieved when dinner came and went, she had just had just been given a 3 foot essay in Charms, and had to rush to the library straight after to get started. Despite the fact that they had already sat their NEWTS not long before, Hermione had still asked for extra assignments. She hated letting her mind go idle.

On her way up the stairs to her dorm, Hermione ran into Lavender and Parvarti, who were waiting for the staircase to shift. Lavender suddenly became very interested in her toes. Parvarti, fully aware of the incident between the two smiled awkwardly at Hermione. Hermione returned the smile and attempted to walk past the two, not before hearing rushed whispers between the two.

"You should just tell her you're sorry, Lavender!" Parvarti whispered, "I'm sick of this awkwardness..." Hermione didn't hear the end of the rant as she ascended the stairs. She grabbed her book bag, ensuring her Charms text book, quills and parchment were inside, and made her way back downstairs. Her path was, however, was blocked by a girl with blonde curls, who was wearing far too much lip gloss.

Lavender was looking nervously between Hermione and Parvarti, who was still standing on the landing but watching them intently, Hermione mused that all she needed was a bag of popcorn to top the image off.

"Hermione, look. I'm sorry that you caught Ron and me the way you did. _Really_. I just, well, I know it was pretty cruel since he was your first boyfriend, and well they probably don't come around that often for you." Hermione raised a disbelieving eyebrow, "You've always been into books and stuff more than boys, anyway. You're probably wondering why I would even need to go for Ron, but the truth is, I actually like him-quite a bit. And I mean, since it's all out in the open now, I just want you to know that I'm going to ask him to the Graduation Ball. I thought the decent thing to do was to tell you. Again, I'm sorry. I hope you accept my apology, so we don't have to be so awkward anymore." She finished her rant by taking her first breath in what seemed like a minute, and looked at Hermione expectantly.

Hermione was shocked, she didn't know whether to laugh or hex the ball of curls standing in front of her. That was certainly the most round-about apology Hermione had ever heard. She decided instead to go with option 'c', and smile politely, knowing this was probably the most she would get out of Lavender Brown in the way of a conscience.

"That's fine Lavender, really. You and Ron will be great together, you're both very simple minded people. You'll complement each other quite nicely." She smiled again, and stepped around the girl, heading along the corridor to the library.

Lavender was left gaping like a goldfish, unsure of whether that was an insult or compliment. She decided she didn't care; they started toward the Gryffindor common room, discussing in great detail what they would be wearing to the Graduation ball.

Hermione had spent the last hour in the library, referencing from multiple books that were scattered around her. She was sitting at a table at the back, hidden between shelves. The library was quiet, and she assumed that most people had chosen to complete their school work in their common rooms that night.

She had already completed two and a half feet of her assignment, and was working on the conclusion, when she saw someone out of the corner of her eye standing next to her. She attempted to ignore them, but they didn't budge. Clearly they did not know her well; Ron, Harry and Ginny knew not to hassle her when she was working on an assignment.

She turned her head sharply to glare at the person, but her face faded when she saw the gray eyes and blonde hair of Draco Malfoy.

"Oh..." she muttered, a sudden memory hit her. She was supposed to meet Malfoy. She looked up at him sheepishly. "I forgot. I got distracted..."

Malfoy was still glaring at her, but decided it was easier to sit and glare, so he pulled out the chair opposite her. "Honestly, Granger. I used to make fun of you for having no social life just to get a rise out of you, but I'm starting to think it's true. Do you ever do _anything_ but study?" He asked incredulously, picking up one of her books, before reading the title and throwing it back down, uninterested.

"I was out there waiting. Me. A Malfoy. Waiting for _you._ Bloody hell, what would my father say if he-" He stopped abruptly, looking down as his hand, which was currently picking at the spine of a tattered book.

Hermione felt incredibly awkward. She never imagined Malfoy to be so affected by his father's absence. She felt bad for him in that moment. She knew she should change the subject, he definitely wouldn't want to dwell on that, and to be honest neither did she. But before she could open her mouth, Malfoy spoke, his voice showing none of his previous emotions; it was back to his usual drawl.

"Stop trying to play hard to get, Granger. It won't work with me, since obviously I've already had you." He smirked, "Since you're no longer with the Weasel, perhaps you'd like to rethink my offer."

Hermione rolled her eyes. Zero to git in 3.5 seconds, he was. "I have thought about it, and my answer is still no." She was denying herself what she really wanted, but Malfoy was too smug. If she had thought these feelings for him would come after _that day. _Then she probably would have rethought her actions, or maybe not...but still, Malfoy was starting to treat her like another Pansy Parkinson. Hermione was definitely not hanging off his every word and movement; she would rather be trampled by a Hippogriff then turn into a whimpering idiot.

Malfoy was glaring at her. "You think you'll have me begging, don't you Granger. Well I hate to break it to you, but I don't actually have to wait on you. I'm doing you a service here. I have numerous girls a day asking me to visit their _restricted sections_," he smirked, and she tried her best not to gag at the innuendo, "in fact just the other week I was over by that shelf there," he pointed behind Hermione, "with a 6th year Ravenclaw. I can't actually remember her name, but she had a great set of-" He groped the air in front of him.

"Shut up, Malfoy!" Hermione interrupted before he could finish his sentence, "I'd like to keep my dinner in my stomach, thank you very much."

He smirked, and leaned back on his chair, "My point is Granger, take the offer while it's hot."

"While it is _such_ a tempting offer," Hermione said, her voice full of sarcasm, "my answer is _no." _She turned back down to her work, and saw Malfoy stand angrily and begin to leave, but not before saying.

"You just wait Granger. I always get what I want."

Hermione, despite her cool exterior, couldn't help but feel slightly nervous at the threatening tone in his voice. She decided it was probably just an empty threat, what could he possibly do? With that comforting thought, she returned back to her essay.

**A/N:**

**I totally realised I made a mistake in this chapter, and Hermione was still using the Gryffindor dorms instead of her head dorm. So I fixed it, and instead of Lavender and Parvarti talking in the common room, they talk on the stair case. And I'll try not to let that happen again, I seem to keep forgetting.**

**Next chapter should be up a couple of hours after this, just to make up for my horrible mistake haha**

**Thanks everyone who has favourited and subscribed, and even bothered to read this! :)**

**Leni**


	4. Temptation and Euphoria

Hermione was currently sitting at the Gryffindor table reading a book on her first class for the day, Ancient Runes, while buttering her toast with strawberry jam. The Great Hall was still rather empty, but there were a few early risers scattered at each of the tables.

When the time hit 8 o'clock, most people started making their way into the hall. Harry and Ron made their way to the seats next to her, both still yawning and rubbing the sleep out of their eyes. Lavender Brown skipped over to Ron, and placed a kiss on his cheek, before sitting herself back down near Parvarti and a few other girls who were giggling.

Harry and Hermione gave Ron a questioning look. He seemed to be avoiding their eyes, but he gave them the explanation they were looking for.

"I did what you said, Hermione. I asked her out. I just wish she wasn't so into public displays of affection." He was still blushing at the fact that the giggling girls at the end of the table were eyeing him and speaking in hushed tones.

Harry simply nodded, not really sure whether to comment on the situation. Hermione, on the other hand, was relieved.

"I'm glad you gave it a chance, Ron, she said, smiling.

He only grunted in agreement, before digging into his sausages and eggs.

Hermione was about to leave the table five minutes later to get to class early, when the sight of Draco Malfoy sauntering into the hall kept her planted to her seat. It wasn't him that kept her there, but what he was doing. He had walked in with his arm around Pansy Parkinson, who looked as though she might explode with happiness, before placing a number of kisses on her cheeks and lips.

Hermione had never seen such blatant displays of affection from Malfoy before, and the worst part was that it sent a sick feeling to her stomach, and she felt the jealousy boil inside her.

"Ugh!" She exclaimed, Ron and Harry looked at her curiously.

Harry followed her gaze, and recoiled in disgust. "Bloody hell, there goes my appetite." He pushed his plate away from him.

Hermione was far too distracted by the display across the room to pay attention to Harry, she watched as Malfoy and Pansy sat down next to each other at the table. Malfoy caught her eye and gave her a look as if to say, "The balls in your court now." Though Hermione knew he'd never say such a muggle expression.

Pansy continued to fawn over Draco, who looked as though he wanted to escape, but in an attempt at making Hermione jealous, he pretended to at least be half enjoying himself. It didn't fool, Hermione though, she knew it was a game for him, though she couldn't deny the pang of jealousy that still gripped her.

"Come on, Hermione," Harry interrupted her thoughts, "we'll walk you to class."

She nodded, and allowed herself one last glance at the table across from her. Malfoy was resting his head on his hand, looking bored as Pansy whispered sweet nothings in his ear, he was eyeing Hermione intently. She gave him a condescending smile, and turned before she saw the scowl he sent her as she walked out of the hall.

Hermione was certainly in for a rough day. She had laughed a little to herself at Malfoy's attempts to make her jealous. She knew he was trying to push her towards saying 'yes' to his deal, but she wouldn't let him win that easily.

Clearly she didn't know Draco Malfoy, because when he had his eye set on something, or some_one_, he always got it.

After her first class, Hermione was walking down the corridor with her bag swung over her shoulder and multiple books in her arms. The bell had just rung for her second lesson, and many people were crowding the corridors making their way to their respective classes. One of those people in particular was a lone Draco Malfoy; he was sauntering down the corridor when he spotted Hermione squeezing through the thick crowd. He smirked and directed himself toward her.

Hermione saw the blonde boy walking her way, and inwardly groaned, deciding to turn her back to him as she squeezed sideways through the crowd. This, however, was a mistake that Hermione couldn't foresee.

As Hermione turned her back, he turned the same way. He pressed his body hard against Hermione's. She could feel his toned chest against her back, his crotch against her bottom, she also felt a rough hand slide up the under her skirt and give her bum a soft pinch. She yelped in surprise.

As quickly as it happened, the crowd moved quickly on and he moved past in the opposite direction, smirking all the way, leaving a very flustered Hermione to glare after him. As she made her way into the DADA classroom, Harry and Ron noticed her flushed look. They looked at one another curiously, before Harry spoke up.

"You ok, Hermione?" He asked.

"Fine. Perfectly fine." She said, but her breath was hitched, and her mind was racing. The boys shrugged. Hermione couldn't much concentrate in that lesson.

By the afternoon, Hermione had successfully forced herself to stop thinking about Malfoy's toned chest, now all she could think about was the fact that her next lesson was Potions-with the Slytherins.

Hermione was made her way into the classroom, and sat in a seat next to Ron and Harry. She was relieved to find the seat across the aisle was already occupied by Neville. It was a practical lesson this time; Hermione knew they would be brewing the Elixir to Induce Euphoria that they'd taken notes on the previous day.

Malfoy sauntered in just before Professor Slughorn; Hermione was relieved to find that he sat across the room in a table near Neville, not so much by his choice however, but because he was practically dragged there by Pansy. Hermione snickered at the look on his face. That's what he gets for trying to make her jealous; Pansy Parkinson was now more obsessed than ever.

Professor Slughorn began to give the class instructions, before getting them to split onto pairs. Harry and Ron paired up, so Hermione went and sat next to Neville. His potion skills had improved slightly over the years, especially since Snape was no longer there, but many people were still cautious to work with him.

Hermione began to set up her cauldron, while Neville went to collect the ingredients for both of them. Malfoy and Pansy were at the table next to them, though Pansy wasn't doing much in the way of helping, she was far too busy inspecting her fingernails.

As everyone started brewing their potions, Malfoy kept sneaking glances around Pansy to where Hermione was stirring her potion on the side of the table closest to Pansy. Suddenly a wicked idea popped into his head.

Neville had been stirring his potion counter clockwise, but it had turned a deep shade of orange, it was meant to be bright yellow.

"Oh, Hermione," he whimpered, "I've screwed up again." He sat on his stool, defeated.

Hermione inspected his potion. "I think you put too many porcupine quills in Neville, you just need to balance out the ratio. Go collect some more wormwood."

As Neville walked back over to the ingredients cupboard, Hermione was still inspecting his potion. It was difficult, but her own potion had turned bright yellow just a few minutes before. As she went to turn back to her own cauldron, she heard a loud CLANG! Followed by a girlish scream, which seconds later turned into frantic giggles.

Hermione turned to the table next to her and saw Pansy Parkinson on the floor rolling about, giggling hysterically, while Malfoy was trying not laugh out loud. Hermione noticed her cauldron was no longer sitting full on her desk, but was on the ground, her Elixir was all over the back wall, the floor, and the giggling girl.

The rest of the class was looking between Hermione and Pansy with shocked expressions on their faces. Harry and Ron were looking at Pansy like she was insane, as she had just started singing in her high pitched voice. People covered their ears.

Slughorn attempted to refocus his students. "Yes, yes," he spoke loudly, "she's clearly been drenched in the elixir. Now back to work everyone. Finnegan, your potion is bubbling dangerously over there; I'd get stirring if I were you."

Most of the students pried their eyes away from the scene, and back onto their own potions. Slughorn made his way over to the desk where Pansy was still singing merrily.

"Now, what has happened here? Miss Granger, how did your potion end up all over Miss Parkinson?" Slughorn enquired.

Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but a cool voice interrupted her before a word had left her mouth. Draco Malfoy began to retell his series of events, which made Hermione fume.

"You see, Professor, Pansy and Granger were having a bit of a verbal spat. I mean you know how girls are," he made a face, and Slughorn nodded in understanding, "well anyway, sir, Granger got a little worked up by something Pansy said, and tipped her potion on Pansy, and well, all over the classroom."

Hermione shook her head in disbelief. In all her years she'd never heard such a pathetic story, Slughorn would have to be an idiot to believe that.

"Miss Granger, I am quite surprised at you." Perhaps he was an idiot? "These are not the actions of a Head Girl. I'd expect such blatant clumsiness from Longbottom there," Neville ducked his head ashamed, "but to intentionally do something so careless, I'm quite shocked. I'm afraid its a detention for you, Miss Granger. Tonight after dinner you will come here and clean up this mess you've made. Just terrible." He added before walking off to inspect finished potions, he seemed to have forgotten about the hysterical girl on the floor, still singing away merrily.

Hermione stood there gaping after the Professor, but quickly came to her senses and sent the most potent glare at Malfoy, who was looking awfully pleased with himself.

"You really ought to be more careful, Granger," he spoke so only she could hear, "turning your back on your cauldron like that. All it took was a simple levitation charm." He played with the tip of his wand, a smug expression on his face.

Hermione could feel her face burning with anger.

"You stupid, arrogant, pompous, positively _irritating _prat! I hate you! Why did you do that?" She spat angrily, Malfoy merely raised an unimpressed eyebrow.

"We all know you don't mean that, Granger. All in a bit of fun, it was."

"Oh, I do mean it. Do _not_ step foot near me again if you wish to reproduce in the future. Which for the sake of wizard kind, I hope you don't!" The bell rang and she packed up her equipment in a hurry, speeding out of the classroom before Harry and Ron.

Malfoy was left standing there, shocked. _Perhaps I went a little too far..._

He shrugged it off though, he had to get her alone somehow, and now he knew she would be down in the dungeons tonight after dinner. He was planning on paying her a visit.

He escorted the hysterical Pansy to the hospital wing. It was, after all, the least he could do since she unknowingly helped him with his plan to get Granger. He made his way back down to his dorm, thinking all the way of the possible ways he would be with her tonight.

Hermione was sitting irritably at the Gryffindor table at dinner that night, stabbing at the food on her plate rather aggressively. Ron and Harry were both eyeing her carefully, unsure of whether to try and get her to calm down, or whether to save their own heads. They decided on self preservation, and continued to eat in silence.

Hermione decided she was in far too much of a bad mood to eat that night and decided to leave early to try and get some homework in before her detention. She had just made it outside the doors when she was stopped by someone calling her name.

"Hermione! Wait up!" Ginny jogged out the doors after her and the two started walking back to Gryffindor tower together.

"So how was your day?" Ginny inquired, as the two girls started up the stairs.

"Horrible," sulked Hermione, "how was yours?"

Ginny smirked. "Better than yours, apparently. I did hear what happened in Potions though, and I've got to hand it to you, Hermione. That has been long coming for Pansy Parkinson." She laughed.

Hermione opened her mouth to explain what really happened, but thought against it. Ginny was certainly more inquisitive then Ron and Harry, and Hermione wasn't certain she could talk about Draco without getting overly emotive, Ginny would pick up on that straight away. Plus, Hermione thought wryly, she was serving detention for it anyway, she may as well take credit for drenching Pansy, since people were still laughing about her 'beautiful' singing voice.

Hermione and Ginny parted ways on the stairs, where Hermione went to her dorm and changed into some older robes; she didn't want to stain her newer ones. With one last frustrated sigh, she stepped out of the portrait hole and made her way down to the dungeons.

Draco had just walked out the doors of the Great Hall after disentangling himself from a sulking Pansy. He wasn't sure whether his stunt today was worth it, she now expected him to threaten everyone who made a comment about it, and he was frankly not in the mood for it. The only thing that assured him was the fact that Granger was now down in the dungeons, for at least an hour, and he was planning on strolling down there to pay her a visit.

Ten minutes later and he was entering the dungeons, but instead of turning left and heading in the direction of the Slytherin common room, he turned right and headed toward the potions classroom.

Draco waited outside the door listening, he couldn't hear Slughorn talking, so he assumed he'd already given Hermione her instructions and left. With a smug look he opened the door to the classroom.

Hermione had been given her instruction by Slughorn ten minutes ago, she was to clean the mess up without magic, warning her that he would check her wand afterwards; she knew he wouldn't, but as Head Girl she didn't want to risk it.

She had just finished spraying some muggle brand disinfectant on the desk, when she heard the door open. She stood up expecting to see Slughorn, but when a flash of blond hair entered she scowled.

"Get out, Malfoy." She said through clenched teeth, before turning back to wipe the disinfectant with a cloth.

"Oh, don't be like that Granger," he said sincerely, though his smirk and smug expression made it slightly less sincere. He leaned against one of the tables near her, his hands in his pockets.

"Don't be like that?" She turned on him rapidly, and he did his best not to show his surprise, she sauntered threateningly toward him, "You could have cost me my Head Girl badge, all for what? A little revenge cause I won't say yes to your little deal? You just can't stand not winning, can you Malfoy?" He tried not to glance toward the spray bottle she seemed to be holding quite threateningly, and he straightened himself up.

"It's not about revenge at all, Granger. I just wanted to get you alone." He smiled; she didn't seem to find it that funny, because she spritzed him in the face with the spray bottle.

He coughed and spluttered, and he heard her chuckle. He wiped as much of the substance of on his sleeve as he could, and scowled at her. "It's your own fault Granger, you wouldn't meet me, so I took matter into my own hands. I mean, I caused Pansy wide spread embarrassment just to see you. You should take it as a compliment." He crossed his arms and smirked.

"Oh, right, so I'm meant to take the fact that you clearly don't care about _anyone_ as a compliment? Yea I'd rather not, thanks anyway." She said sarcastically, turning back to the desk.

"You are so bloody frustrating!"

He strode over to her, and pinned her arms to her side, before crashing his lips down to hers. She tried to squirm out of his grasp but he held her tight, moving his mouth on hers. Eventually they broke apart gasping, though he still held her arms tight. "Was it worth it yet?" He breathed into her ear.

"No," She said stubbornly.

"How about now?" He asked, placing lingering kisses on her neck and working his way up to her ear, biting the lobe and causing her to shiver involuntarily.

"No," she said, though quite breathless.

"How about-," he picked her up so her legs were wrapped around his waist and pressed her hard into the desk, "now?" He asked, still placing kissed on any exposed skin he could see.

She simply whimpered in response and he took it for a yes. They kissed frantically, pulling at each other's clothes. Hermione ripped open his shirt and began rubbing her hands down his toned chest. His hand made its way under her shirts and he kneaded her breast, and pinched her nipple causing her to yelp in surprise. His hand then worked its way down her leg, then back up her thigh under her skirt. He found the spot between her legs and began to rub his hand up and down there; this caused her to grind closer to him, letting out whimpers of delight. He broke apart from her, much to her protest and pulled her knickers down over her feet, discarding them on the floor.

He began to rub the spot between her legs again, but Hermione was losing patience and grabbed his belt, undid it, and released him from his pants. They rubbed against each other for a few minutes, Draco basking in the warm moisture that was becoming abundant under Hermione's skirt. Eventually he couldn't take the teasing any longer, and he thrust inside her hard, with a groan coming from his mouth. They basked in the feeling of each other until they were both sent over the edge, and in a wave of pleasure the collapsed on each other on the desk.

Draco could feel Hermione panting underneath him, and for a moment there he thought that this is the way things should be. But he quickly dismissed the thought and they both got up and dressed in comfortable silence.

"I should get back to this," Hermione motioned to the mess around her unenthusiastically.

"Nonsense." Draco whipped out his wand, and performed a quick scourgify on the mess. It disappeared.

Hermione was suddenly stricken with a panicked look, and Draco shook his head amused. "Relax Granger, _I _used magic to clean it up, not you."

She relaxed, before saying, "Least you can do since you're the reason I'm here." She sniffed indignantly. He smirked.

"I'd do it again, too." He said, she whipped her head to face him, but he quickly added, "Not that I'm going to."

She relaxed.

"I'll see you again _very _soon, Granger. I know you'll want a repeat of that performance." He smirked walking toward the door.

"Uhhh, maybe not that _exact_ performance, I feel you can do better than that." She tried to keep a straight face as his head whipped around, but failed, and started laughing at his put out expression.

"Ha ha, very funny." He turned back around, but Hermione was certain that she saw a worried look on his face as he did. She chuckled to herself as she sat back on the desk, waiting for Slughorn to dismiss her for the night.

**A/N:**

**I suck at writing love scenes. So please excuse it haha**

**Leni**


	5. The Thoughts Behind the Face

Hermione was currently sitting at the back of the library, indulging in her favourite book, 'Hogwarts, A History'. It was a Friday night and the library was empty, everyone was in their common rooms relaxing and looking forward to the weekend. Harry and Ron had invited her to the Gryffindor common room for a few butter beers that night, she told them she might join them there later, but really she wasn't looking forward to watching Lavender and Ron making puppy dog eyes at each other, though at least it wasn't toward her.

Hermione stopped reading her book and looked up in thought. It was strange to her, how after having a crush on Ron for years before they got together, she suddenly didn't have those feeling for him anymore; in fact she was quite confused about why she had them in the first place. The moment she started to notice Draco more, she realised that it was wrong. Not saying that she thought her and Draco were right, or that they'd ever be together, but she thought at least that she didn't have to force feelings for him, they seemed to come naturally.

Hermione sighed. She knew this..._thing_ with Draco would not turn out well. They were complete opposites, it was wrong. She had feelings for him, and despite her attempts to distance herself from him, he had managed to get to her. She felt like she'd given up the fight, and was just letting herself get dragged away by the current. _It'll be fine...until you drown._

Hermione gave up reading for the night and decided that she would join Harry and Ron in the common room, after all. To her surprise, Ron and Lavender were rather distant, though not the latter's idea it seemed, as she kept shooting him confused and hurt glances every now and then.

The Golden Trio, plus Ginny, were seated around the fireplace, sipping on butter beers while their fellow Gryffindors were scattered around the room laughing and chatting happily, some engaging in games of exploding snap.

"For god's sake, Ron!"Ginny snapped, "Will you just go talk to Lavender, she keeps glancing over here every five seconds. It's rather annoying."

Everyone glanced toward Lavender who was, as predicted, looking over at Ron, a look of anguish on her face.

"Did I miss something?" Hermione asked, looking back at Ron, who had taken a sudden interest in his feet, "I thought you and Lavender were together?"

Ron sighed, and sunk back in his arm chair. "We are. It's just, well, she's awful clingy, and I may have, sort of, snapped at her for it last night." He began to pick the wrapper off his bottle.

"You should have seen it Hermione, I've never seen Ron grow such a back bone when it comes to a girl before," Ginny snickered as Ron sent a scowl her way.

"Shut up, Ginny. You don't know what it's like, you're single at the moment, enjoy it while it lasts," he said sulkily, and returned to peeling the wrapper off his bottle.

Hermione noticed both Harry and Ginny look down, blushing. She caught Ginny's eye and gave her a look that Ginny knew meant that Hermione expected all the details.

"You should go talk to her, Ron. Lavenders always been a very," Hermione grimaced, "_bubbly _girl, she probably didn't realise how bad she was being. It looks to me like she knows she was a little too over the top. I don't think I've ever seen her look such a mess." It was true; Lavender looked like she might break down any second. She had a rather comical expression on her face, though Hermione would never laugh at someone else's anguish, not even Lavenders.

Ron sighed and followed Hermione's gaze to Lavender and met her eyes. With another encouraging word from Hermione, he walked to the other side of the room to Lavender Brown, who looked relieved to say the least.

Hermione was happy for Ron, but she also knew that she was encouraging the pairing so much in the hopes that he would realise that Hermione and he weren't meant to be together. She felt guilty for this, but Ron had his own mind. If he didn't like the idea, he wouldn't do it. With that reassuring thought she turned back to Harry and Ginny and began attempting to pry the details of their new found relationship from her two blushing friends.

Draco's Friday night was not as enjoyable as Hermione's. He was currently in his bedroom, lying next to Pansy Parkinson on his double bed, though he wished he could be anywhere else. He had been rather distant with Pansy lately, and after she pestered him nonstop he thought he should at least pretend to show a little interest in her, since she could well write to his mother. The last thing he wanted was to have his mother get as many people to watch him as possible.

His relationship with his mother was one of mutual respect, she had never been allowed to show him the affection he assumed many other children were given, and most of his parents' affection was shown through the giving of material items, rather than actual words and actions.

His mother had always been a calming force to him, though. During the times when Draco felt helpless, mostly during the time when the Dark Lord was controlling his family, his mother had always shown her affection in small ways; a calming hand on his shoulder, or a small nod of approval. During those moments he didn't feel so alone.

No, he didn't hate his mother, though he did resent the fact that she allowed his father to control her every action and move within the family, even from his cell in Azkaban, which was exactly the reason he was still betrothed to Pansy. He was still expected to uphold the Malfoy name; despite the fact his father had already ruined it.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by Pansy snuggling closer to him. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes, as her hand made its way down his stomach, and attempted to get under the waistband of his pants. She had done this every night for a week in an attempt to get Draco to sleep with her, and it hadn't worked yet, he was almost angry at the fact that she wouldn't give up.

He stopped her hand with his own, "Not now, Pansy."

She sat up angrily and glared at him. "Not now? You haven't wanted to for the past week, actually longer than that! What going on with you, Draco? You've been acting odd lately."

Draco shrugged, "Perhaps I want to do more than just shag all the time." He knew this wouldn't be believable.

Pansy scoffed, "All you ever want to do is shag! Don't think I don't know about all those other girls, I do. I let it happen because it makes you happy, and because it never stopped you from being with me before. We're getting engaged soon, Draco. I want it to have stopped by then." Her eyes glistened with tears, as she stormed out of the room.

Draco sighed and stared at the ceiling. He wasn't aware that Pansy had known about the girls he used to sleep with, but he didn't really care. What bothered him the most is that it was now only one girl, and that one girl was preventing him from sleeping with his own girlfriend, his future fiancé'. That worried him.

He remembered at breakfast that morning, he was seated next to Pansy and Blaise, as usual. He had noticed in that moment how every time he said something remotely cruel or sarcastic, Pansy would laugh like she'd never heard anything so hilarious. This got on his nerves, immensely. He began thinking back to his conversation with Hermione in the library, how she had matched him in wits, she hadn't thrown herself at him, hadn't laughed at his sarcasm. She hadn't felt the need to pretend to like him; he had to earn it from her.

This was the reason he was now seeing Pansy for the nuisance she really was. Of course they were friends, but he did not want anything more, because he had come to find himself comparing her to someone who she just couldn't match up too.

He remembered the day when it all began. Why had he even asked to meet Hermione near the lake? He had noticed her staring at him for weeks before that day; it sparked something inside him, something that made him feel like he, for one in his life, had a chance to get acceptance, not because of things that didn't matter, but because she saw something in him that made him worthwhile.

He wanted her to like him, as a person, and possibly more. Things like that meant nothing for Pansy, who liked him for his money, his reputation; Hermione liked for genuine reasons, and somewhere deep down in the part of his mind that craved approval. He wanted it. He needed it.

He had spent his whole life with his father as a role model of who he should be. He was expected to reign over others because of his blood and his money, and he had for most of his life. But when his father had shown his weakness in the face of the Dark Lord, Draco began questioning things he'd never bothered to before.

The man he had shaped himself to be like his whole life was nothing but a coward, a fool. It didn't matter what his money could buy, or what respect his pureblood status bought him. In the end, his father, the person he had looked up to, had led his family down the wrong path.

Draco felt nothing good for himself in that moment, nothing but shame. He was a coward and a fool just like his father, and he hated it. He wanted to be someone worthwhile. Someone who didn't need insignificant things to get respect or friends.

Then he'd seen it one day. He was sitting in potions, not quite paying attention to Pansy talking to him. He was scanning the room, bored. His eyes had wandered to the table that the Golden Trio sat at. He thought about how he'd hated Potter with a passion, but now he was actually a little grateful that he'd defeated Voldemort and given Draco a chance to live a life that didn't involve becoming a death eater, like he was supposed to on his 18th birthday. He'd never tell anyone any of this though, not even on his death bed.

His eyes had almost scanned to the next table when he saw someone looking at him. It was Granger. He'd expected a scowl, or look of malice, but all he'd gotten was a doe-eyed look of interest, until she snapped back into reality and looked down blushing. He couldn't manage a scowl back at that moment, and he didn't want to.

It was at that point that he'd made a note to keep an eye on Granger, and from that point he noticed she looked at him a lot. None of them scowls, her face always held a dreamy expression. It was at that point that Draco had felt something inside him shift. He no longer felt like a worthless coward, like his father. He felt hope.

This brown-eyed girl looked at him like he balanced the world on the end of his finger, and while he acted indifferent on the outside, inside he was revelling in it. She was the epitome of goodness in the world, everything that was kindness, love, courage. She had been since he first saw her bushy head in first year.

Granger was always on the path to somewhere great. Her actions always had meaning, and that meaning was always to help someone, mostly Harry, and now she was looking at him like _he _was the one that actually meant something.

The thought that Granger, who was so high above him, perhaps not in blood, social status or money but in everything else, saw something in him that was worthwhile, made Draco feel as though maybe things weren't as bad as they seemed. Maybe _he _wasn't as bad as he seemed.

He hadn't told Granger any of this, and he doubted he ever would, but she had given him something he couldn't find on his own, or from pansy, or his mother, or anyone else. She had given him hope.

All the times he was with her and she looked at him like that, he basked in it. He knew she was looking at him because he really was worthwhile, not because of any other meaningless thing. None of that mattered to Pansy. She would follow him around no matter what, she would cling to him whether he treated her with respect or not, whether he was worthy of respect or not. But Granger, she never did anything without logical reasoning, and the fact that she had a logical reason to let him so close to her made him feel satisfied in who he was for the first time in a long while.

He rolled on his side, and stared at a photo of him and Pansy that was sitting on his bedside table. He was looking at the camera a small smirk on his lips, while Pansy hugged him and whispered how much she loved him in his ear. That photo was taken a year ago; the only thing he remembered from it was thinking how pathetic Pansy was. He had so much power over her and she didn't fight it; perhaps that was her way of showing him affection, by grovelling and answering to his every beck and call. He remembered it hadn't bothered him up until a couple of months ago, but now it did, ever since a certain Gryffindor had made such an impact.

It was with that thought that he found himself walking out the portrait hole of the Slytherin Common room, much to the death stares of Pansy, up the stone steps, up the staircase, down a few corridors and in front of the portrait to the Head Dorms.

"Password?" The forest Nymph asked, not suspicious at all that he was clearly not the head boy or girl.

"Aqueous Animus," he said, remembering hearing Hermione say it the first time he'd come up to talk to her.

He walked into the head dorms, hoping not to run into Ernie Macmillan. He was lucky, however, the common room was deserted, the only remnants of someone having been there were a few open books left on the coffee table, and the fire crackling as it died away.

He noticed three doors in front of him, all in a line. The first on the left was crimson trimmed with gold; it had the initials _H.G _on the front in elegant script. The next door was plain white, the word _Bathroom _was written in the same script, and the last door was yellow with black trim, with the initials _E.M _on the front.

Draco made his way to the first door, knowing that Hermione might not be in the room. He knocked. There was no sound from the other side. He thought about opening the door, but thought twice. He pulled out his wand and muttered a quick spell checking for wards, there were 5 on the door. He smirked to himself, she was slightly paranoid, but it also made him wonder what she had hidden in there.

He began performing every ward breaking enchantment he knew, many of them were ones he learnt from his father, in other words, dark magic. He found that her wards didn't stand a chance against his enchantments, and five minutes later he was swinging the door of the room open and walking inside.

He looked around. It was odd being in Grangers room. He walked to the shelf where a few photos sat in frames. She had one of her, Harry and Ron in their first year; they were waving at the camera and laughing. Draco smirked at the mop of frizzy hair that was on her head; thank god she had learned to tame that.

The next photo he looked at was of Hermione and Victor Krum at the Yule Ball; she was smiling towards the camera as Krum picked her up and spun her around. This caused her to throw her head back and laugh. Draco thought she looked beautiful, in fact he'd remembered thinking that on the night in question, though he'd hated her too much then to ever admit it to himself.

The last photo that caught his eye was completely still. He flicked the frame to see if it would make the people in the photos move but they didn't, then he remembered something about muggle photo's not moving. Feeling rather stupid he looked at the picture of baby Hermione smiling toward the camera as a man and woman, no doubt her parents, held her, smiling happily.

He moved away from the shelf of photos and came to sit near the head of her bed. He opened the bedside table, and began shuffling through its contents, coming upon a book, no doubt a journal. His eyes lit up with excitement, but it seemed she had placed many wards on the book, and as he was down to the last three he heard the door to the common room open and close.

He stuffed the book back in the draw, annoyed that he wouldn't get to see Hermione's deepest thoughts, only because he wondered if they were about him. He lazed out casually on Hermione's bed, and waited for her to enter. He heard the footsteps towards the door, and then a pause. He heard her muffle the enchantment that removed the wards, but stop half way through as she realised they were no longer up. Draco had to muffle his laughter at this.

The door swung open violently fast and in the door way stood a furious Hermione Granger, looking down at the smirking Draco Malfoy.

"What. Are. You. DOING?" She screeched. Draco grimaced as his ear drums pounded. "You broke into the head dorms, and then my room, GET OUT!"

Draco continued to sit calmly on her bad, picking a piece of fluff from the doona. "Have you finished screeching like a banshee?" He asked, coolly.

Hermione was taken aback by his tone, and for a moment felt slightly crazy for screaming like that, and then she remembered he'd broken into her room, and the anger came back.

"Why are you in here?" She snapped, "Were you going through my things?" She looked around to try and see if anything was missing or out of place.

"Oh please, I only had a quick look through your underwear draw," he smirked, she flushed, "I have to say Granger, they really are sexy."

He swung his legs off the bed and walked toward her. "You should wear the frilly ones for me sometime." He kissed her cheek and then down her neck, Hermione stood there a look of horror on her face.

"T-the frilly ones? I haven't even worn them before! Ginny gave them to me as a birthday present; I couldn't just throw them out." She blushed harder.

Draco stood back and looked at her, amused. "I was joking Granger, I didn't actually go through your draws, but now I know that you actually _do _have frilly underwear, perhaps you could put them on for me." He headed towards the draw, but she grabbed his arm and pulled him back to her.

"I suppose we could save them for another time," he whispered, as he picked her up and threw her on the bed, before lying next to her.

Hermione seemed to have moved past her anger and embarrassment and was now curious as to why he'd paid her a late night visit. She turned to him. "Why are you here if you're not going to try and, you know, sleep with me?"

"I never said I wasn't going to sleep with you," he smirked at her, "but I came here to get some peace. It's difficult being around Pansy non-stop. You're much better company."

Hermione would have taken this as a compliment, but compared to Pansy, it wasn't really saying much.

"I was thinking actually," he began, looking at the ceiling deep in thought.

"About?" Hermione prompted.

"This." He said, motioning between the two.

Hermione's stomach sank. _He's going to end it. See, this is what happens when you let yourself get attached. _

"I see," she said her voice shaking a little. He looked at her, his face filled with confusion, and maybe a little bit of concern, she couldn't tell. He suddenly smirked.

"I'm not ending it yet, we've still got weeks. I was just thinking about why you met me in the first place, down at the lake that first time, I mean.

Hermione nodded. Ignoring the fact that she felt immense relief, and also trying to ignore the fact that she was possibly not going to be able to let this man go.

"Well," she started, "I suppose I saw something in you that I never noticed before. I know I didn't know you, and I suppose I still don't, but usually when I looked at you, I felt hate. But that changed, and I stopped feeling that, despite nothing else changing. I suppose it was your smile too, it changed, and despite it being something small, it said a lot to me. I never wanted to believe you were destined for bad things when Harry and Ron would say things, but I always held out a little bit of hope that you would see you aren't you father. You're better then what he wants for you."

She hesitated to talk about his father, knowing how it affected him, but when she looked up she saw him looking at her, eyes wide. She went to speak but his lips cut her off in a hard, passionate kiss, which left her breathless when he pulled away.

"I'm nothing like my father. I haven't wanted to be like him for a long time. That's why Pansy gets to me so much. She actually wants me to follow in his footsteps, like he was a good person or something. I'm glad he's locked away, and I'm not ashamed to say it."

His voice wasn't angry, but determined. Hermione was shocked at how much he'd just revealed and wondered if even Pansy knew this much. She moved over and rested her head on his shoulder; he wrapped his arm around her, al thoughts of sex forgotten.

As they drifted to sleep, they both had similar thoughts echoing through their minds.

_I don't want this to end._

**A/N:**

**Ok, this chapter was a lot more sappy then anything. I just wanted to establish some emotions between the two other than just lust. I also wanted to explain why each of them agreed to meet that day. I think it sets a sort of back ground for the story. At the time their real feeling were disguised by lust, but now they're coming to the surface a bit more. Don't worry, there will still be plenty of bickering and steaminess, I can't imagine Draco and Hermione not getting on each other's nerves to be honest, but I think that's part of their charm.**


	6. The Search for Peace and Quiet

Draco awoke the next morning to a fan of curls on his chest. Opening his eyes, he noticed the horrendously crimson room that was now bathed in sunlight. He looked beside him; Hermione was curled up against his body, still completely clothed. That surprised him. He was usually like a tornado leaving naked, pleasured women wherever he went. He'd never spent the night with a girl without having sex, with the exception of Pansy, of course, and he never awoke in the room of a girl the next day, he always made sure to leave them straight away so they didn't get the impression of him caring. Because he never did. _Until now_. He quite liked the idea of waking up to Hermione.

That thought caused him to slide out of Hermione's grasp and stand beside the bed looking at her. She was definitely something. He remembered being quite content with her last night, usually he got sick of someone within five minutes, but he had actually been able to be around her for longer; all night to be exact.

His thoughts were blemished by the face of a black haired girl. Pansy. He'd been gone all night; no doubt she would have waited up for him. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes in frustration, fixed his clothes and hair in the mirror, and stepped towards the door.

"Draco." He heard the tired, gentle whisper of the girl behind him. He turned around, his hand still on the door knob. He hadn't heard her say his first name often. He liked it.

Hermione was sitting up on her elbows, her hair an unruly mess, her eyes were still tired. "Don't go yet." She said getting out of bed and walking towards him.

Draco heart rate increased at the thought that she wanted him to stay, but his old self, his more heartless self, cringed away from the blatant emotion that she seemed to be showing him. This couldn't happen.

"Look, Granger. I've got to go now, Pansy will be wondering where I was all night," he rubbed a frustrated hand over his face again, "Just because I stayed the night, doesn't mean anything more than our deal."

His old self needed to push her away, needed to make sure she knew that whatever they had together had a clear beginning and a certain ending. No matter how great he felt right now, in her presence. He didn't want to get something he'd eventually lose, even if it was much better then what he already had.

Hermione paused next to him at the door. Her eyebrows furrowed at his previous words. "I know that, _Malfoy_. But if you haven't noticed, I share a dorm with Ernie, who happens to date the biggest gossip in school. You can't just walk out there at this time on a Saturday, he could be in there." She pulled open the door, which caused him to take a few steps back to avoid being hit.

He waited patiently as Hermione checked the common room for Ernie, then the corridor outside the portrait hole. She returned a minute later.

"Its empty, no one will see you." He couldn't miss the trace of bitterness in her voice, and wanted to punch himself for his previous words.

He decided it was best to leave her to it, and he walked out the head dorms and back to his common room, where to no surprise, Pansy was waiting for him.

As soon as he entered, she was on him like a leech, asking a barrage of questions he wasn't in the mood for answering. Unfortunately, his attempt to conceal himself in his dorm proved useless, as she followed him straight in, clearly not intimidated by his bad mood at all.

"I was waiting up til, like, one o'clock for you!" She continued, though he'd already missed the first part of her rant, so he wasn't sure what she was continuing _from_. "You were with some girl weren't you? If it was that stupid blonde from Ravenclaw, whats-her-name, the one that keeps giving you those looks when you walk past, I swear Draco, I will not be happy."

He continued to ignore her, as he entered the bathroom and ran a shower. Ten minutes of peaceful, bliss filled silence as the hot water ran down his body. He stepped out of the shower and returned to his dorm wearing a towel around his waist, where Pansy began ranting once again.

"I told her before to stay away from you, and I've seen the way she looks at you, Draco. I'm more intuitive then you think..." If he was listening he might have chuckled at that, but he was far too busy putting on his shirt and pants. They were very dressy, as Malfoy's didn't exactly do 'casual' that often. His basic daily wear was a dress shirt and black pants, though sometimes in the colder months he would wear sweaters.

He fixed himself in the mirror and combed his hair into place, when the sound of Pansy calling his name ripped him forcibly out of his peaceful day dream.

"Draco!" she cried, "Were you even listening to anything I said?" She stood and stomped toward him. He sighed.

"Of course I was, Pans." He said in a soothing, but rather patronising voice that he knew always placated her. Her tense stance relaxed, and she smiled.

"You know I'm going to give you everything, don't you? Fancy robes, expensive jewellery, exquisite parties." She nodded and her eyes lit up in what he could only guess was intense excitement for her life as a Malfoy, "But I just ask for one thing in return, Pans, can you just give me one thing?"

She nodded, dreamily. "Anything, Draco."

"Silence, Pans. I just want a little bit of silence." She was left gaping like a gold fish as he made his way to the great hall for breakfast. He knew he would have hell to pay later, but it was worth it.

Hermione had been in a good mood when she first woke up that morning. That is, until a certain arrogant git went and spoiled her day with his...arrogance. She frowned at her lack of description, but it was far too early for any complex adjectives, anyway.

She made her way down to the great hall for breakfast, and caught sight of her friends sitting at the Gryffindor table. Harry and Ginny were sitting next to each other, giving uneasy looks in Ron's direction, and whispering every now and then. Ron, on the other hand, seemed oblivious to all the problems of the world and was stuffing as many fork-full's of bacon, eggs and sausages into his mouth as he could. Hermione made a face of disgust as she sat down on Ginny's other side, across from Ron.

"For god's sake Ron, chewing is an essential process for digestion. You should try it." She said, not bothering to hide her disgust.

He looked up from his food with a look of utter confusion. "Wha' Mione?" The three opposite to him cringed as half-eaten egg sprayed over them.

Hermione performed a quick Scourgify, to which Harry and Ginny looked extremely thankful for. Ron hadn't even noticed, and was now back to eating, though more slowly now, as he was looking at Hermione.

"You alright, Mione? You look a little upset, something happen?" Luckily for the other occupants at the table, he had swallowed his food before he spoke.

"I'm fine, Ron, really. Just woke up on the wrong side of the bed I guess." Both Ron and Ginny gave her puzzled looks. "Muggle saying, never mind. I don't mean it literally." Harry chuckled.

Ron nodded, but she noticed the concerned look on his face never left and he kept eyeing her occasionally. It seemed he was more worried about her than he was about eating. His attention however was diverted when a group of fellow Gryffindors consisting of Dean, Seamus, Neville, Parvarti and Lavender came to sit in various seats around them at the table.

Ron smiled awkwardly and blushed as Lavender placed a quick kiss on his cheek. Hermione wondered if this was a form of public affection he didn't mind, but judging by his red face, she guessed otherwise. Ron's attention was soon diverted by talk of the latest game results of Quidditch, which Seamus was reading out in the Daily Prophet.

"So, when were you guys going to tell us you're together?" Lavender asked, looking towards Harry and Ginny. Both their eyes widened, and cheeks reddened. "I went down to retrieve my hairbrush late last night; me and Parv were trying out hairstyles for the ball and I happened to catch you two locking lips. I thought it best not to interrupt." She giggled along with Parvarti.

Ron turned to Lavender. "Who was locking lips?" He gave a sideways glance at Hermione.

Lavender giggled, still eyeing the blushing couple across from her. "Just your sister and best friend."

Ron turned to Harry and Ginny, his eyes wide, his mouth agape. "Harry, she's joking right? Not Ginny, she's my" he made a face, "sister."

Harry looked to Ginny and then back to Ron. "I l-love her, Ron." He said as loudly as he could manage, "I have for a while." Ginny smiled, but it fell when she saw the look on Ron's face.

"And you didn't say anything to me?" Ron's voice was raised in anger, the chatter from their friends around them died into awkward silence. "You said you didn't like anyone."

"I only said that because I knew you'd react like this." Harry said, with a hint of frustration in his tone.

"Of course I'd bloody well react like this! She's my sister, and you're my best friend!" Cried Ron, standing up and causing the table to shake and plates to clatter. A few heads from tables around were looking towards the commotion. "Or at least I thought you were."

"Ron," Hermione said, "don't you think you're overreacting a little? I mean, you'd have to be blind to not see how obvious this all was."

"Ronnikins," said Lavender, clearly put out about Hermione's attempts to soothe her boyfriend, "Calm down, how would you like it if someone was angry that we were together?" She hugged his arm and Ron looked at her incredulously.

"It's completely different, Lavender." He removed his arm and stalked out of the Great Hall without looking back.

Ginny turned to Hermione. "We were planning on telling him today. I didn't think he'd be that angry."

"It _is_ Ron we're talking about here, Ginny. I think he's just worried that with you two together, he might lose his sister _and _his best friend."

"He's still got me!" Lavender interjected. They looked at her with mild interest, simply because they'd forgotten she was there.

"He knows I'd never ditch him for Ginny." Said Harry.

"And the protection and love of a brother is completely different to that of a boyfriend," Ginny added, highly frustrated at her brothers antics, "Go talk to him Mione, he's always listened to you. He knows you're the smartest and most logical of us all. If he knows you're ok with it, he might come around." Ginny placed a hand on Hermione arm, her eyes pleading with her.

"Oh alright." Hermione caved, she stood up and began to walk out, but not before she was joined by someone at her side, who seemed to be walking at a competitive pace to her own.

"I thought I should come with you," said Lavender in a pompous voice, "since I _am _his current girlfriend and all."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Of course, Lavender."

Ten minutes later they were standing outside the door of the boy's dorm. Hermione made to knock, but Lavender moved in front of her.

"Ronnikins!" She called while knocking several times. Hermione resisted the urge to shudder at the horrendous nickname. "Come out already, you're being extremely immature!"

Hermione shook her head in disbelief. Ron _was_ being immature, but telling him that would get her nowhere.

"Go away, Lavender! I want to be alone in my immaturity!" The bitterness in his voice was obvious. After another couple of minutes of Lavender knocking and calling out, and they were getting nowhere.

"Perhaps letting me try now might help." Said Hermione; trying not to let her annoyance become obvious.

Lavender huffed. "Fine, but I don't see why he'd want to talk to his ex-girlfriend instead of me."

"I think you're forgetting that I'm also one of his best friends." Hermione snapped. She turned back towards the door and knocked.

"Go away, Lavender!" Cried Ron's muffled voice from behind the door. Hermione heard Lavender huff again.

"It's not Lavender, its Hermione," she called, "can I talk to you, Ron? Just for five minutes, if you want to be alone after that I understand." There was a substantial moment of silence, in which Lavender started mumbling things along the lines of 'told you so' and 'at least he spoke to me', until she was silenced by the creaking of the door and Ron poking his head through the gap.

"Fine, five minutes." He opened the door wide enough for Hermione to get through, she entered. Lavender made to follow but Ron blocked her way. "Just give me some time to talk about this with my best friend, Lavender." Knowing all too well he didn't just see Hermione that way, he closed the door on a fuming Lavender Brown.

When he turned around, he saw Hermione sitting at the end of his bed. He moved and sat next to her.

"I know why you're doing this," she began, "You aren't going to be left out, Ron. You're always going to be Harry's best friend, and Ginny is always going to need you. They're both going to need you."

Ron sighed. "No they aren't, Mione. I mean look at me and Lavender, she always wants my attention, every second of the day." He picked an invisible piece of cotton from his pants.

"Ron, no offence, but Lavender is slightly insane when it comes to boys. Ginny isn't like that, she understands the bond between you and Harry; she won't take him away from you. And as for Ginny, she's always going to need her big brothers to look after her, I mean, who's going to kick Harry's butt when he upsets her-"

"He better not upset her." Ron interrupted, hotly.

Hermione laughed lightly, "Exactly Ron. See? Just knowing you are there is what she needs you for. They're happy together, but you're an important part in both their lives. Always have been, always will be." She put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. He let a breath out.

"I suppose you're right Mione, you're always right." He gave her a small smile, which she returned.

"I've actually been thinking," he continued, looking back down to his hands, "I don't think it's working out between me and Lavender. She's just...she's not you, Hermione."

"Ron, please, we talked about thi-"

"I know we talked about it, and I'm not trying to pressure you into anything, but I just want you to know that I know what happened with me and Lavender was wrong. I've regretted it every day since. I guess it's just made me realise how much I need you. As horrible as it is to say, I didn't realise til I didn't have you. I just want you to know that whenever you're ready, Hermione, I'm yours."

"Ron, you shouldn't be waiting on me. I can't stand knowing that, when I'm not sure what I want."

He put up a hand to stop her. "I just wanted you to know that, Mione. Now you know; it's up to you what happens. Remember in first year when I was mean to you all the time? Well I suppose it wasn't just first year..." He smiled sheepishly at her.

Hermione giggled. "Try first, second, third, fourth, fifth _and_ sixth year."

"Well, my point is that I always felt like I needed to get defensive with you, whenever you said something to me, because I knew that you were getting to me in more ways than one." He smiled at her, "I think deep down I've been in love with you since first year, since I met you, and you payed me out for my spell." It was Hermione's turn to smile sheepishly now. Ron chuckled. "Just know Mione, you'll always have me. I love you as more than a friend, but I will love you as a friend if that's what you want."

Hermione was sobbing lightly at Ron's unusually kind and understanding words. He nudged her playfully, "At least Harry doesn't ball his eyes out when we talk," he joked. Hermione hit him playfully and rested her head on his shoulder.

"We've been through some stuff together, haven't we?" She said, thoughtfully.

"Sure have, that what makes our friendship unbreakable. We've been through it all." He turned and placed a quick kiss on her forehead, before standing and pulling her to her feet.

"Come on, sook," he laughed as she wiped away the last of her tears "It amazing how you're meant to be in here comforting me, but it ends up being me comforting you." She hit him playfully on the arm again.

"You'll be comforting a broken nose in a minute, if you don't stop," she laughed, as they walked down the stairs to the common room. Lavender was nowhere in sight.

Ron turned to her shocked and amused, "Since when did you get so feisty, Mione? I'm impressed." She smiled as she thought of the influence Draco had on her wits. They headed toward the portrait hole, before stepping out.

"So are you really breaking up with Lavender? She really likes you." Hermione asked, not able to help the feeling that she was somewhat responsible.

Ron grimaced. "I know, she's just too much for me, you know? I've been considering it for a while." He rubbed the back of his neck, nervously. "I better go find her. Catch you later, Mione."

"Bye, _Ronnikins."_ She chuckled as she walked toward the library, hearing Ron's frustrated groan behind her.

Draco had been having a terrible day so far. After he'd escaped Pansy that morning, he'd gone down to breakfast to get some peace and quiet, though that didn't eventuate. As soon as he sat down, Blaise Zabini was onto him.

"Where were you last night, mate?" He asked, chewing on a piece of bacon.

"I didn't know you usually cared about my comings and goings, Zabini." Malfoy said, coolly while packing his plate with sausages.

"I usually don't, by when Pansy forces me to stay up with her, listening to her whole pathetic life story, all because you left and didn't say where you were going and still hadn't made it back by one, I tend to take an interest."

Draco scowled at the thought of Pansy. "Pansy needs to relax a little. She knows I have to marry her, she should be happy that I haven't found a way out of it."

Blaise glanced at Draco with raised eyebrows, a look of mild interest on his face. "Do you want to find a way out of it?" Draco gave him a look, Blaise chuckled, "Don't really blame you, mate. If married life with Pansy is anything like what I had to put up with last night, I'd be running."

Draco glared at the Italian. "Yea well, some of us can't just run, can they?"

Blaise shrugged. "What's the worst your father could do? He's locked up; you control the Malfoy fortune now. You control all the business transactions, all the investments, all the galleons in Gringotts. Your father isn't going to be out in a long time, if ever. If I were you, I'd do whatever I want. Screw getting married, mate. I'd be a bachelor." Blaise winked, and Draco rolled his eyes.

"You know it's not that simple, my father still has people watching me, my mother for one." He said; his voice full of bitterness.

Blaise shrugged again, turning back to his plate. "If you say so, mate. But you'll be wishing you listened to me when you're getting an ear-full of Pansy for the next 60 years." He grinned, causing Draco to glare at him again.

"Speak of the devil." Blaise muttered toward Draco. He turned his head to see Pansy walking toward the Slytherin table with Millicent Bulstrode. He'd never liked the girl, but he was sure Pansy only kept her around for that reason; she wasn't a threat to her relationship like many of the others.

Draco stuffed down the last of his sausages fast, just as Pansy came to sit next to him. Both him and Blaise held their breath in anticipation of the inevitable outburst, and both preparing to run when said outburst happened, with Blaise quickly finishing his own bacon as quickly as possible.

Pansy, however, did not even acknowledge the two boys next to her, though she made it blatantly obvious that she was ignoring Draco. Draco and Blaise shared a look, before silently agreeing to get out before Pansy decided against her silent treatment. They both stood and walked toward the doors, Blaise casting one last look behind them.

He turned back around and gave Draco a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. "If looks could kill, mate, you would be dead on the ground."

Draco chuckled. "I quite like the silent treatment from Pansy, I don't think she actually realises it's a reward, not a punishment. I should piss her off more often."

Blaise laughed, before turning down the corridor that led to the Slytherin common room. "You coming, mate?" He asked, as he noticed Draco heading toward the staircase.

"No, think it's best if I hide for the day. That means as far away from the dungeons as possible." Blaise nodded his head in understanding, before walking down the steps toward the dungeons.

Draco started walking aimlessly through the corridors for an unknown amount of time, until eventually he was outside the doors of the library. Deciding this would be one place Pansy would never go, he entered through the doors.

Needless to say, the library was completely empty, it seemed that even Madam Pince wasn't on her usual post of scowling at students as they entered. He wandered around the book cases for a few minutes, before stopping in front of the entrance to the Restricted Section, and wondering if he could sneak in there without being caught, seeing as the library was completely void of people.

He didn't have any reason to go in there, since most of these books he had in his own library at the manor, and had already read. But Draco was always in the mood for mischief.

The entrance was locked, but it was a pointless exercise, Draco removed his wand from his robe and unlocked it quite easily. He was just about to enter when he heard someone clearing their throat behind him; he froze, thinking for certain he'd been caught by Madam Pince. That is, until the person spoke.

"Well, well, Malfoy. What do you think you're up to?" He could hear the smug tone in her voice, and couldn't help but smirk as he turned around.

"Hello, Granger," he said, walking toward her, "what brings you here?"

She raised an eyebrow in a way that would have been reminiscent of a Malfoy themself. "I'm always in the library Malfoy; you on the other hand, are not." She crossed her arms and eyed him suspiciously.

"Very true, you're quite the book worm. I was just having a look around." He motioned around him.

Hermione raised her eyebrow again. "In the restricted section? You do realise this is the head girl you're talking to, don't you Malfoy?" She pointed to the shiny badge on her robe, just to emphasis her point.

Draco chuckled. "I'm not worried about you, Granger." He moved forward, slinking his arms around her waist, and kissing her neck. Hermione almost lost herself right there, but then remembered his arrogance that very morning and his blatant rule breaking just now. She pushed him away.

He tilted his head to the side, and smiled, one of his new smiles. "Come on, Hermione. You know you want to." She knew that using her name was a tactic for his success.

"No, _Draco_. You are an arrogant git." She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes stubbornly.

Draco chuckled and once again pulled her toward him. "If you're mad at me for my behaviour this morning, I...apologise." he muttered the last word, clearly hating pushing his pride aside. "If it makes you feel any better, Pansy wasn't happy. She's giving me the silent treatment." He made a face of mock sadness, which caused Hermione to laugh, much to her annoyance.

She pushed him away again, and re-crossed her arms. "Don't think being cute is going to get you anywhere."

Draco smiled. "So you think I'm cute?"

"I didn't mean that definition of cute, you complete-"

"Granger thinks I'm cute." He interrupted, Hermione, by this stage was blushing furiously.

"Shut up, you arrogant, pompous, undeniably-"

"Cute?" he interrupted once again. She let out a frustrated groan, and began to stalk back through the rows of shelves, while still blushing furiously.

"Such a complete ass." She muttered to herself, as she began sifting through the shelves once more, "Such an annoying git." Draco approached silently from behind her.

"Come on, Granger; don't get all defensive just because you admitted you think I'm cute," he crossed his arms, grinning, "Many women think the same, you shouldn't be ashamed to admit it."

"How pug-faced Parkinson puts up with you is beyond me." She paused. Oh crud. She just called his girlfriend pug-faced. She slowly turned around with a hesitant look on her face.

Draco, however, was looking quite amused. "Pug-face Parkinson, ay. I quite like it, who came up with that?"

Hermione breathed out in relief that he wasn't angry; he was quite scary when he was mad, though she supposed she could always just punch him in the face again. "Ron did." She said in answer to his question.

Draco scowled, "I don't like it so much anymore."

Hermione rolled her eyes. And turned back to peruse through the shelves.

"Where were we anywhere? Oh yes, that's right. You were just admitting how attractive you think I am." She could hear the amusement in his voice.

Hermione scowled, and then smirked, turning toward the blonde boy next to her. She sauntered forward, and saw Draco's smirk falter slightly at her forwardness. She stopped in front of him and stood on tip-toes, to reach the spot beside his ear. She nibbled his lobe gently and felt his breath speed up and his body shiver.

Draco was in heaven, he'd never seen Hermione be so forward. He was waiting in suspense for what was to come, when she purred in his ear, "Ten points from Slytherin, for trying to break into the Restricted Section." She pulled back, smiling at him. He scowled.

"Fine, take the house points, I don't care about them. But you are finishing what you started." He picked her up and her legs wrapped around his waist, as he carried her further into the jungle of shelves before thoroughly having his way with her in a secluded corner at the back, multiple times.

This was the first time Draco had spent an entire day in the library. Who knew books could be so much fun?

**A/N: **

**Sorry for the long time since the last update I had a couple of essays to write, and then Christmas. I hope this chapter was enjoyable. I thought it would be nice to get a little bit from the friendships on both side, and I also had to get Ron back in the good books with everyone, he's really not so bad :P**

**Thanks to everyone who has put this story in their alerts and reviewed, it means a lot, especially since this is one of my first stories :)**

**Hope everyone had a great Christmas, and I hope you all have a fun New Years! I'll try to update soon. I think I have a good idea of where this story is going now, I've sort of just been winging it so far :S**

**Cheers!**

**Leni**


	7. Crossroads

One week had passed since that night in the library, and Draco and Hermione seemed to have come to some sort of silent agreement. Each night, he would wait outside the head dorms, she would check for Ernie to be asleep, and he would sneak in so they could spend the night together. Hermione's muggle alarm clock woke them before Ernie did each morning, and he would sneak back down to the Slytherin common rooms, back into his own bed.

They usually spent their time talking, making love, or just lying in silence in the others presence. Draco was starting to think of the curly haired girl as more important to him than what he would like to admit, she was fast becoming the reason for the rare skip in his step and pleasant mood which seemed to be about him for the last week.

His fellow Slytherins had noticed the change, but none of them were close enough to him to question it. Pansy was still sulking, but was no longer 'punishing' him by giving him the silent treatment, much to his disappointment; in fact, she had become more watchful of him than ever before, in the hopes of catching which girl he was seeing behind her back.

Unfortunately for her, he was far too sneaky and always waited til Pansy was asleep before he snuck up to Hermione's room (which was a feat in itself, since he had to avoid Filch), and he was always certain to be back before Pansy awoke.

The first time she questioned him on his new-found early rising habits, he simply shrugged it off, stating that there is too much to be done to waste time sleeping in. She'd furrowed her brow in confusion, or possibly suspicion, at these words, but hadn't questioned him further.

Unfortunately for Draco, his luck was not with him on this Sunday morning. As he slid away from Hermione's body, which had moulded itself around him, he gave her a quick kiss on her soft lips, and dressed himself back in yesterday's clothes. He was starting to think that he might have to bring a spare set with him from now on. He crept out the door of the common room, which was empty, out the portrait hole, and raced down the staircase as fast as he could.

Breathing a sigh of relief as he thanked the gods for avoiding Filch or Mrs. Norris, he entered the Slytherin common room, only to find the face of a rather fuming Pansy Parkinson glaring at him, both her arms and legs crossed as she sat on a chair in front of the fire. This sight was more of an annoyance than anything, and he controlled the urge to roll his eyes.

"Where were you? I snuck into your room last night, at one in the morning! Must say, I was certainly surprised to find it empty. I wonder which whore you spent the night with, because it certainly was a long night, wasn't it Draco?" Pansy said, eyeing his dishevelled appearance.

"I'm not in the mood Pans; remember what we discussed last time? Silence, just give me silence, and you'll get your Malfoy name, and all the perks that go with it." He spat, bitterly.

"STOP SEEING HER!" Pansy screeched out of the blue, loud enough to wake the whole castle. "Whoever she is, just stop seeing her! You're _my _boyfriend, and _my_ future fiancé, she's not ruining this!" She stomped towards him as he strode to his dorm.

"Don't walk away from me Draco, you do as I say or I'm writing to your mother! Do you think she'll be happy to know you've been screwing around, blemishing the name of our family?"

Draco turned on the spot and glared at the girl. "First off, this isn't _your _family, its mine, and it won't EVER be yours if you don't shut up!" That caused her to gasp, eyes wide with horror, "Secondly, my father already ruined the family name! I can do no more damage to it then he already has..." he spat bitterly.

Pansy narrowed her eyes menacingly. "No, Draco, your father didn't ruin the name, he made it what it was. If only you were half the man he was, we wouldn't even be having this argument! If you were more like him, I wouldn't have to threaten every girl I see making eyes at you to stay away! He wouldn't risk ruining the name over a lousy shag!"

In that second Draco realised who Pansy Parkinson really was; a conniving, manipulative idiot, who would spend her whole life dragging him down to his father's level. He stood there staring at her in disgust, though she seemed to take this as submission.

"Now come to bed Draco, you can make it up to me today, I saw some nice earrings in the jewellery store at Hogsmeade. They'd go well with my dress for the Graduation ball; but for now let's just sleep." She made to grab his arm and head into his dorm, but he pushed her off.

"I can't even hardly look at you right now, Pansy, let alone allow you to sleep in my bed." She opened her mouth to protest, but he'd already entered his room and shut the door, putting a locking charm on it before he dropped to his bed and thought. The one thought that came to his mind was not helpful, however; _Hermione would never be like that._

Three hours later, after a restless sleep, Draco made his way into the common room, where Blaise Zabini was sitting quietly, reading, on a high backed, green leather chair. At the sight of Draco, he put his book down and stood, giving him a sympathetic look.

"Pansy told me what happened, though I did hear bits and pieces of your argument early this morning. That girl certainly likes to screech loudly..." He shook his head, almost looking slightly impressed at the volume Pansy could reach with her voice.

Draco ran a hand through his hair and groaned. "I'm sick of her, I'm not sure how I'm going to put up with her, but if I have to marry her, she's going to put me in and early grave."

"Perhaps that's the plan." Blaise joked. Draco scowled.

"Wouldn't put it past her; she'd probably jump into bed with my father after that, if he wasn't in Azkaban, that is." Draco said bitterly.

Blaise raised his eyebrows, clearly amused. "That much of a fan, huh?"

"You have no idea," Draco said through gritted teeth, "seems to think I'm not following in his footsteps enough." He scowled again.

Blaise patted him hard on the back, "Consider it a compliment, mate." With that, they made their way to the great hall for breakfast, just in time for the mail. A large, regal owl landed in front of Draco. He immediately recognised it as his mothers.

He removed the letter, and the owl flew off.

_Draco,_

_I'm not sure if you are aware, but today is a visitation day at Azkaban. I have already owled the Headmistress, and she has allowed you to leave for the day, though you must check in with her before you go. You will go to Hogsmeade, where you will floo to the Manor, and we shall go from there. Please be here by no later than noon, as it is an important visit; your father has much to discuss with you._

_Your Mother_

Draco groaned inwardly. This day was just getting worse and worse.

Hermione was having a similarly bad start to the day. When she'd awoken that morning, Ernie had been sitting in the common room. He looked at her oddly and asked whether she'd left out the portrait hole early that morning, as he'd heard someone open and close it at around 5am. She said she'd heard nothing, but was inwardly panicking at the thought that he almost caught Draco on his way out. Her day got even worse when she broke the strap of her bag broke, breaking her last few bottles of ink, and her favourite quill, which meant she needed to go to Hogsmeade; and it got worse again when she had been walking down to the great hall for breakfast, she was met with a rather nasty glare from Lavender Brown.

Hermione entered the hall and immediately snuck a glance toward the Slytherin table, Draco was sitting there reading a letter, one he didn't look to happy about. She turned toward her table to find Ron and Harry talking animatedly while Ginny sat quietly, looking quite pleased with herself. In fact, the whole table was laughing about something.

Hermione sat down, and was immediately bombarded with simultaneous conversation from Harry and Ron, which she only caught snippets of.

"What is going on?" She asked; a confused expression on her face. Ginny seemed the only calm one around, so she aimed her question at her.

Ginny finished chewing her toast, smiling happily at herself. "Oh you know, I just hexed lavender Brown last night."

Hermione, who had been taking a sip of her pumpkin juice, began to choke. Ron stopped his blabbering to pat her on the back. "You did what?" She exclaimed, eyes wide.

Ginny simply repeated herself, looking as though it was a common occurrence to hex her housemates. "I hexed Lavender Brown." She went back to eating her toast, once again looking pleased with herself.

Harry jumped in and began explaining so enthusiastically that she barely understood him. "Well you see, Ron broke up with Lavender, before he apologised to us of course, and she wasn't too happy. She came and found him talking to us in the common room, and began to accuse you of being the cause. She had some rather nasty things to say about you, and well Ginny just lost it. I've never seen such a great Bat-Bogey hex. It was _hilarious."_ Just to further his point Harry started laughing loudly.

"I would have defended you, Mione. But...well...I was sort of in shock," he looked guilty, before brightening up again, "it was a bloody brilliant hex though. Disgusting and hilarious at the same time."

Hermione turned to Ginny. "I'm not really sure I agree with it, but thank you for defending me, Gin."

Ginny smiled brightly. "No problem. Just watch out for Lavender, she might have a grudge against you for a while. And me too, I suppose." She said, smiling at what Hermione could only assume were memories of Lavender Browns bogies growing wings and chasing her.

Hermione laughed at the thought, being Head Girl she turned a blind eye on the blatant disregard for the rules, especially when it involved Lavender.

She finished her toast before deciding to go and make notes out of a book on healing that she was currently reading. She then remembered she needed more ink and a new quill, and excused herself to go and see McGonagall, to ask her if she could make a quick trip to Hogsmeade to pick up some new supplies.

After seeing McGonagall, the new Headmistress, she was granted permission to go to Hogsmeade. Being head girl did have its perks. Hermione retrieved her bag from her dorm and made her way out the castle doors.

She spent half an hour picking out a new quill and ink from Scrivenshafts, and then decided since she was there to have a look in Dervish and Banges, and then pick up some sweets for Harry, Ron and Ginny at Honeydukes. After an hour, Hermione had finished her shopping and decided on one last stop at The Three Broomsticks to have a cup of tea, and also rest her feet.

When Draco had finished his breakfast, he headed slowly to the new Headmistresses office. It was still hard to think about Dumbledore, especially because of what had occurred in the Astronomy Tower, but Draco had been let off, due to the fact that he simply could not go through with it. He frowned at what his life would be like if he had.

Upon entering the office of McGonagall, Draco was greeted by Fawkes the Phoenix, who was now as faithful to McGonagall as he was to Dumbledore. The portraits of Headmasters past were snoozing quietly.

Professor McGonagall looked up from her parchment and gave Draco a small smile. He saw pity in it, and he disliked it. She clearly felt sorry for him, for who he was, and what his family had become.

"Good morning, Mr Malfoy. I trust you received your mother's owl?" he nodded, "Very well, you will be able to use the floo at The Three Broomsticks to get to your home, I'm sure your mother has organised your travels from there."

"Thank you, Professor." He said, no emotion in his voice. He turned to leave when she stopped him.

"Mr Malfoy, I do trust that you have learnt the value of yourself in these past months. You have much more control over your life then you think." He turned to her, a look of shock quickly passing across his face, Professor McGonagall smiled gently, "I may not be as inquisitive as Albus, but I do know when someone is at a cross-road, Mr Malfoy. I trust you will follow what you think is right."

She dismissed him with a nod. He was too surprised to speak so he simply nodded back and left. What had she meant by him being at a cross-road? He didn't have any control over his life, none at all. He was bound to become a doppelganger of his father, and everyday he was getting closer to that image. The only time he felt some hope for change was with Hermione. She was like a single match in the darkness, not enough to make a massive impact, but enough to allow him to feel some warmth, some light. Enough to lead him.

His positive thoughts stopped. _Perhaps Hermione is just naive_, he thought as he walked down the path toward Hogsmeade, perhaps she was hoping to find something in him that didn't exist. His heart sank dramatically at the thought.

Upon entering the village of Hogsmeade, Draco went straight to The Three Broomsticks; he wanted to get this day over with as soon as possible. He entered the pub, to find it relatively full. He went to the bar.

"I need to floo somewhere," he said to Madam Rosmerta. She smiled, "No problem, that'll be 2 sickles 25." He handed her the change and she handed him the pot of floo powder. He made his way to the back of the pub, and gathered a handful of powder, ready to throw it into the flaming fire, when a voice behind him spoke.

"Draco, what are you doing here?" He turned to the voice of the person who had been plaguing his thoughts for most of the week. Hermione stood there with several small bags at her side, looking at him expectantly.

"I could ask you the same thing," he attempted a smirk but failed, he was much too stressed, "I really need to be getting somewhere. I don't know if I can meet tonight. Pansy's getting suspicious..." He shifted awkwardly, "I'll see you later, Granger." He threw the powder into the fire and stepped in saying 'Malfoy Manor', all before Hermione had a chance to speak. In a flash of green flames, he was gone.

Hermione was quite confused about his odd behaviour and rather more disappointed then she'd like to admit about the fact that he might not meet her tonight. _Stupid Pansy_, she thought as she walked back to the castle. Then she remembered that she was actually the 'scarlet woman', as Ron would put it, and it seemed to allow her to crash back to reality. She felt like a horrible person for the rest of the day.

Three days had gone by since Hermione had last spoken to Draco, and she was beginning to become depressed. Had she done something? Was this the end of it? She was sitting in Ancient Runes not quite paying attention. The only class she had with Malfoy today was potions; she would need to get his attention.

When Hermione entered the potions dungeon later that day, she was pleased to see Harry and Ron were running a little late. She quickly pulled out some parchment and wrote a quick note to Draco telling him to meet her tonight. She folded it up and waited for the Slytherins to arrive. Draco and Pansy were the last two Slytherins to arrive, sitting in the seats across the aisle. Hermione caught Draco's eye and passed him the note while Pansy was busying herself retrieving her quill from her book bag. Draco simply pocketed the note, without a second look, and without reading it. Hermione frowned slightly, but tried to forget it when the Professor walked in.

Draco was lying on his bed in his dorm later that day. He had a lot to think about since his visit with his father a few days ago. His father had asked him to invest in a few business ventures for some old friends. These old friends happened to be death-eaters, and despite Voldemort being killed, there was still a lot of darkness around, and many supporters still roaming free.

His father had wanted him to invest some money to support this, since the 'businesses' were actually a cover for dark activity and also housing the death eaters who were still in hiding from the Ministry, allowing them to carry on with the dark lords plans. His father was quite adamant that he do this, and Draco wasn't sure if he even had a choice. In the past 3 days he could barely bring himself to look at Hermione, she would hate him if he helped the people who most likely murdered many of her friends.

He sat up. His watch read that it was only 2am. He decided he would pay Hermione a late night visit, just to gauge what she thought about things. He doubted that he had a choice in the matters his father brought up, and he certainly knew she wouldn't accept him if he went along with them. He made his way up to her dorm expecting this to be the last night they spent together.

Draco gave the password to the forest nymph and entered the head dorms. It was dark and deserted, as expected. He entered Hermione's room, without the trouble of breaking in this time. She was asleep on her side, looking peaceful as the moon light outside shone on her face.

He silently crept next to her on the bed, she tossed and her eyes flickered open. She gasped in shock before realising who it was. She turned on her side to face him.

"I didn't think you were coming." She said, flatly.

"Pansy's been watching me like a hawk lately; I've had to be more careful about sneaking out." He rolled on his back and stared at the ceiling.

"Oh," was all she said to this and they fell into an uncomfortable silence. Draco was the first to break it.

"Hermione?" he looked at her.

"Mmm?" She replied sleepily.

"What are you planning on doing once you graduate?"

She thought for a moment. "I'm not sure yet. I was thinking about becoming either an Auror or a Healer, though I don't think I'd be very good at being an Auror, it's far too physical. I'd much rather use my brain. Plus, I've already joined the order, and I think they could use a Healer around when they go on difficult missions."

Draco was surprised that she would consider becoming an Auror. "Why would you want to become an Auror anyway?"

She shifted her position so she was resting her head on her hand. "Well, after helping Harry it was just an option. Plus, there are still death eaters out there, as you know. They need to be caught and punished for what they've done. I won't feel like the war is finished until they are."

Draco swallowed nervously. She would definitely not accept him if she knew he was going to help hide death eaters like his father wanted.

"What are you planning on doing?" She asked, breaking his train of thought.

"Oh," he began, unsure what to say, "probably just business, like my father."

"Like your father?" Hermione asked with a raised eyebrow. She settled back down. "I was under the impression your entire father's 'business' involved wrong doings with fellow death eaters."

Draco was surprised at this, he never expected her to say something so scornful about his father to him. She clearly didn't care whether he got mad, not that he would, it was true. "That's right." He replied, not wanting to lie to her, but also not wanting to tell her the whole truth.

Hermione sat up, eyeing him with a furrowed brow. "What do you mean 'that's right'?" She asked, "You aren't saying you plan on following in your father's footsteps are you? Thats a one way trip to Azkaban."

Draco was becoming slightly irritated. "Well my father wasn't exactly private about his affairs with Voldemort was he, I'm not that stupid. Besides, I don't exactly have a choice in the matter. I'm simply here to do my father's bidding. Even with the Dark Lord gone, people still hold his beliefs. Including my father."

"So you haven't learnt anything from the war, all the people who died?" She replied, hotly. "They died to rid the world of people like Voldemort. People like your father." She was starting to tear up with frustration. "You can't just follow in his footsteps. They will have died for nothing!" She shot up of the bed and glared at him.

"Not everyone has a perfect little life, Granger." He spat angrily, sitting up on her bed. "I have no choice in the matter. You have plenty of choices, so you have no right to lecture me about right and wrong. You're naive; you think that everything will be ok. It won't. You will have your perfect life, and I will have the one I was born into. The one that has been planned for me since I was born."

"That's a pathetic excuse Draco. Harry was born into a life planned for him, but he made the most of it and he succeeded in his own way! Don't tell me you don't have a choice, you're just scared!"

By this point Draco was seething. How dare she compare him to Potter, and state how much better he was. He ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

"I know you're better than this, Draco." She began softly, "You aren't like you're father. You said so yourself. You could change your future, you could join the Order, like me, you could make a difference in a good way. Please, Draco. Please." She was right next to him, holding his hand, her eyes pleading.

He almost said yes to her offer until he remembered that he was Draco Malfoy. He was nothing. "I wish I could say yes, Hermione. But you don't understand. People hate me for my name, they always will," he said softly, "I wanted to be good enough for someone like you, but no matter how hard I try to forget who I am, I can't. I'm not a good person, I never will be."

"That's not true," she sobbed, "I see you for who you are. Other people will too, you have a chance to change everything. Please, Draco. You can forget everything...You can be with me."

He looked at her, shocked. She wanted to be with him? Why would she want that? He was _nothing _compared to her. Yet he wanted to say yes so badly, he wanted her and every good feeling he got when he was with her. She created warmth inside him. He never thought, she of all people, would hold such power over him, but she did. He leaned in and placed a kiss in her soft lips, and just like that, the face of a black haired girl ruined his happiness, and he crashed back to reality.

For a moment he had allowed himself to fantasise about what it would be like to be with her, basking in the love and kindness that radiated from her. It had been the best image, but it wasn't real. It wouldn't be possible for him, the son of a death eater, the one who couldn't even prove his worth to Voldemort, the one who'd spread such hatred for years, to deserve someone as great as Hermione. He would just lose her when she realised that.

He broke the kiss. "I'm sorry, Hermione."He walked out of the room to the sound of her light sobbing.

**A/N:**

**This is definitely not the end. I still have plans, and there is still hope for them yet **

**Hope everyone is having a great day, and thank you again for reading this, and to all those who have favourite, subscribed and reviewed. It means a lot to me. I don't really like this chapter, but I hope I improve on it next time.**

**Cheers!**

**Leni**


	8. Motivation and Allegiance

Time was flying by at Hogwarts, and eventually there was only one week left until the Graduation Ball, when they would go their separate ways. Hermione had barely seen Draco in the past couple of weeks, he hadn't been in classes that often, and when she asked him about it on the few occasions they would meet, he would simply give her a knowing smile and change the subject. She really hoped he wasn't dealing with his father's 'business' as he admitted he might some weeks ago.

Draco, on the other hand, had a lot on his mind. He had spent a week since that life changing conversation with Hermione thinking about whether he might be able to change things. He had come to the conclusion that he might not be able to change things for himself, but he would be able to change them for her. He would make sure she was safe and happy, whether he was the same or not. He didn't care; he would do it for her. That is when his plans had begun.

He had written a letter to Gringotts bank, and organised a meeting with them, which took him away from the school for one day. When his father was imprisoned in Azkaban, all his estates automatically became Draco's, he was legally the sole owner of the Malfoy fortune, though his father liked to play a role in choosing where to invest it. Draco would change that.

In his meeting with the manager of Gringotts, he moved nearly all the Galleons in his family's vault, to a recently made vault, under a completely new name: The Order of the Phoenix. The staff at Gringotts looked at him oddly, but did not comment on such an act, since they were technically his galleons now. He ensured that he kept enough in his family's vault for his mother's use, since she should not suffer for his father's actions. He also kept enough in there to carry out the rest of his plans. He gathered all the necessary paper work, and headed back to Hogwarts later that night to meet Hermione. He was far from finishing what he had planned, but he'd been looking forward to seeing her all day.

When he entered her room, she was once again asleep. He loosened his tie and removed it, along with his shirt and pants, until he was in just his green boxers. He slipped into the space next to her, and began to play with her curls.

It was strange to Draco how much he had come to care for Hermione over the last month, he hadn't realised just how little he had in the way of happiness until he found her. She'd single-handedly helped him see he was much better then he thought. He knew he couldn't buy forgiveness but he hoped it would be a start.

He wondered what Pansy's reaction would be when she found out that he had given away practically the whole Malfoy fortune; perhaps the Parkinson's wouldn't allow her to marry a blood-traitor. He chuckled. That would be an unexpected bonus; he would see how that turned out. The money he had put into the vault for the Order of the Phoenix had been quite a chunk of his inheritance, but not all of it. He knew the order was struggling, from what his father had joked about many times. His father had said that they didn't stand a hope of catching the remaining death eaters, or anyone else who decided to continue Voldemorts work, because they simply didn't have the resources or galleons to support their members.

He knew that Potter had been left the Black fortune when Sirius fell into the veil, and he knew it was quite a lot of Galleons, plus obviously some hide-out, though he wasn't sure where. He knew his donation to the Order would be much more helpful to them. He would also need to give them a little push in the right direction, in the form of some names of death eaters, and their current locations that his father had revealed to him; he knew his father would be livid, and probably disown him, which might also mean his mother would too. He understood what the consequences of his actions might be, but he wanted to make sure no one else lost their lives. Especially not the amazing girl next to him, who he knew would be in the thick of it once she graduated. The thought of her being killed while trying to take down those death eaters _he _would have been protecting made him sit up abruptly and rest his head in his hands. He'd never thought about it before. Just by supporting Voldemort, he'd supported the deaths of many people like Hermione. People who were loved by their friends and family, people probably loved them like he loved Hermione. He froze. He...loved her.

It seemed like something inside him was relieved at the admission, like it had been coming for a while, and while Draco knew it probably had been, he had been quite good at looking the other direction. To actually consciously admit it had shocked him, but not unpleasantly so.

Hermione would be good for him. She was an equal, in intelligence and wits. She was beautiful, and the fact that she didn't even realise it made her more so. She was kind, she'd given him a chance, she'd let him in when no one in their right mind would, but she had given him a chance, an opportunity to show that he was someone better, and for that he was grateful. Of course they still fought, but now it was more of a playful banter, he wouldn't dare call her 'mud-blood' and she probably wouldn't call him 'ferret', anymore. While they still managed to push each other's buttons, they wouldn't intentionally hurt each other. And now he wanted to protect her from everything, even himself at times, but he was far too selfish to leave her because of that. He wanted to be with her.

He laughed wryly. Would she actually want to be with him? She seemed to care for him, and she had said it that night, the night when she'd given him hope, the night that had led to his current state of mind. He wondered if she actually meant it. She seemed to like him for who he was, not because of his money, or his name, not that he had much of a name anymore. She wasn't like Pansy, who demanded material things, and only seemed to care about what he could give her in the way of gifts. Hermione gave as much as he did, but not in the form of material items, just in the form of what he hoped was love. Though he wasn't sure because he'd never felt it before or really ever had it shown to him.

He felt a body shifting next to him, and looked down. Hermione was staring up at him out of tired eyes. She reached up and stroked his face. "I missed you today." She whispered.

"I had some business I had to attend to." He said, relaxing at the feel of his touch and lying back down beside her.

"I hope it was nothing bad, Draco. Remember what we talked about?" He smiled at her; a smile she knew meant it would all come out in good time. She sighed.

"There's nothing to worry about ok? Just trust me." She looked him in the eye for a moment, and obviously seeing something there that was sincere, she nodded.

He pulled her onto him, and began to kiss her passionately, trailing kisses down her jaw and neck every now and then, rubbing his hands over her silky skin. She was breathing heavily from this attention, and rolled them so he was laying above her.

He kissed his way down her neck and began to remove the lose shirt she was sleeping in, only to recognise it as one of his own that he'd left here at some point. He smirked. "Do you enjoy stealing my clothes?" He asked, while tugging the fabric off and throwing it on the floor beside the bed.

Hermione blushed, and smiled shyly. "It smells like you...it helps me sleep when you aren't here."

Draco tried to hold in a grin that wanted to adorn his face at her words. He couldn't ever imagine someone missing him that much. He continued to ravish his way down her body, removing her pyjama pants, and slipping his own off. He cupped her, feeling how much she wanted him already.

"Please Draco..." she breathed. Not one to keep her waiting, in one quick thrust he was inside her, they both made noises of approval at the feel of one another.

Draco began to shift his hips slowly, while still kissing her. He had never really taken her gently before, but he wanted to this time, he wanted to savour the moment and the feel of her. His thrusts were rhythmic, and he was having great difficulty restraining himself from becoming frantic. Hermione was letting out soft, breathy moans, and holding him close to her, almost like it was never close enough.

He ran his hands down her sides and gripped her bottom in his hands, lifting her up slightly as he leaned back, still keeping up his rhythms. Hermione protested at first but in his first thrust in this new position, she threw her head back in pleasure, he was hitting all the best spots.

After a few minutes, he could see her gripping the sheets beneath her and he could feel her muscles around him tightening, as she moaned and arched in pleasure. The sight was far too erotic to handle and Draco found his release only seconds later, slumping on top of her, both thoroughly exhausted, and high on pleasure. Hermione wrapped her arms around him, and kissed his cheek.

"I love you, Draco." She whispered, softly and with a hint of uncertainty. She didn't wait for an answer as Draco lay frozen and shocked, and he soon heard her steady breathing, indicating she had fallen asleep. He sat up and stared at her, replaying what she'd said in his mind over and over. His heart rate increasing each time he thought of it. Suddenly all his doubts about his plans were gone. He didn't care whether his father disowned him, or whether he was killed for being a traitor.

_This is worth it. It's all worth it for her._ He settled down next to her, watching her bare chest rise and fall. He didn't get much sleep that night; he was far too excited about carrying out the rest of his plans. He hoped they would lead to her happiness, and maybe, though he didn't deserve it, a little happiness for himself.

Draco was awoken at 5 the next morning by Hermione's muggle alarm clock. They had classes today, but Draco had more important business to attend to, though he would probably be back earlier today. Either way he would be back to spend the night with Hermione.

He dressed in yesterday's clothes having not brought any spare, and he fixed himself in the mirror. Hermione was sitting up watching him tiredly, "Will you be in class today?" She asked,

He turned and picked up his book bag, which carried his papers from Gringotts and shoved it over his shoulder. "I don't think so, I have some things I still need to do," She looked a little disappointed, "I'll be back earlier though, and I'll be here tonight." He walked to her and placed a kiss on her lips, she smiled before getting up and checking the common room was clear.

"We won't have to sneak around for much longer," she said when she re-entered the room, he couldn't help but notice the hint of sadness in her voice.

He wanted to tell her things would be fine, but in all honesty, he wasn't sure if they would be. He knew she would be ok, but he wasn't sure what would happen between them in the future. He was certain that if Pansy didn't leave him, if he left her he wouldn't even be alive to be with Hermione. Pansy's father would probably kill him anyway, after everything he did. He would have to deal with that soon enough. "I suppose," he said after a few seconds, not really sure how else to respond, "I'll see you tonight." With one last kiss he was gone.

Entering the dungeons, he wasn't even wary of finding Pansy there waiting for him, which she was, along with Blaise. It seems she had been complaining to him once again, because as soon as he entered the common room, both stood. Blaise with a look of utter relief on his face, and Pansy with a look of utter rage. He wanted to tell Pansy to piss off, but he couldn't have her contacting his mother or her parents, and possibly having them discover his intentions before they were finished.

He strode straight towards his dorm, Blaise followed behind along with Pansy. Draco allowed Blaise to enter, but blocked the way before Pansy could storm in. She scowled, "Oh, you just wait. You see, I've been contacting your mother about your strange disappearances not only at nights now, but during the day too. She seems to have no idea where you've been going. Care to share?"

Draco glared at her. "No I don't 'care to share'. You've got to be the most pathetic person I've ever met Pansy. I used to think you were alright as a friend, but now, I just cannot wait til I'm rid of you so I can get some fucking peace!" He slammed the door in her face, and locked it, though it didn't stop her from banging and yelling outside.

Blaise was sitting in a chair in the corner, his eyebrows raised in surprise, or possibly admiration, at Draco's handling of Pansy. "Well, I'd say you've got some worries now."

Draco was rustling through his draws, getting out clean clothes, "I think that was long overdue. It won't matter now anyway; I've got plans...Plans that don't involve Pansy."

Blaise raised an eyebrow in curiosity and leaned back on the chair, "Do tell."

Draco eyed his friend, wondering whether he could be trusted. It wasn't very smart to trust Slytherins. Draco shook his head, "I can't let anyone know about this, especially not a fellow Slytherin."

Blaise shook his head and chuckled, "Did I ever tell you, the sorting hat wanted to put me in Ravenclaw? I asked to be put in Slytherin, because it's where my dad was sorted. It was a way for me to be close to him after he died. I think I argued with the sorting hat for about a minute, until it finally agreed to put me in Slytherin." Blaise smiled, "So you see, I've never been a true Slytherin deep down."

Draco had stopped what he was doing, his clothes in his arms, staring at Blaise in surprise. He never would have guessed the boy who had been his friend for years was really meant to be a Ravenclaw. Blaise was smart, very smart, he was mostly quiet and kept to himself, except with Draco and Pansy, he was never involved with Voldemort and his family stayed neutral throughout the whole war. Looking at it with this new knowledge, he wasn't surprised; Blaise never had the true personality of a Slytherin; just the intelligence to act like one. Maybe he could be trusted? Maybe he could even help him?

Draco walked into the bathroom and showered for a few minutes. He dressed and fixed himself in the mirror, before stepping back into his room, where Blaise was slumped casually on the chair, reading an old copy of _Which Broom?, _which had sat deserted next to Draco's bed.

Draco sat on his bed, "Fine, I'll tell you."

He recapped the whole story, starting at the beginning, that day with Hermione, and finishing at what he hoped would happen.

When he was finished, Blaise sat there looking at him in disbelief. "Granger? _Hermione _Granger? The nerdy little Gryffindor? Wow. I suppose she has gotten pretty hot over the years..." Blaise was silent in thought for a moment, "in fact just the other day she walked past where I was sitting in Ancient Runes, and her skirt flew up a little, needless to say I-"

"Shut up." Draco growled, throwing a shoe at Blaise and successfully hitting him in the shoulder.

"Bloody hell! What was that for? A man's allowed to look." He rubbed his shoulder, sulking.

"Not at Hermione you aren't, you can look all you want at Pansy though." He chuckled at Blaise's look of disgust.

"Anyway, you can't tell anyone, and if anyone finds out, then I'll know it was you who told and I'll Avada your ass. Understand?" Draco gave the boy a look that usually caused first years to cower in fear, but Blaise didn't flinch a bit.

"Yeah, yeah," he said impatiently, "So where are you off to today?"

"I'm meeting with a real estate wizard, I'm trying to liquidate some funds by selling some of the many manors my father has uselessly kept all over the country. I'm only leaving on that's in close proximity of Hogwarts, and Malfoy manor of course. Then I've got a meeting with some business partners of my fathers, I'm pulling the funding for a few of his less desirable business transactions, and getting involved in some more...beneficial ones."

Blaise nodded in understanding, he knew about the Malfoy's participation in many shady ventures, in fact most people suspected it. He was surprised that Draco would want to pull the funding for them, they were quite the money makers.

"I need you to do me a favour," said Draco, he was uncomfortable asking people to help him, but it needed to be done, "if Pansy tries to send any letters today can you try and stop her somehow? I don't need my mother discovering what I'm up to before I'm done."

Blaise stood and saluted, "Blaise Zabini at your service." Draco rolled his eyes as Blaise exited the room. Today would be a long day.

Hermione was sitting in Ancient Runes later that morning, alone. None of her friends did the subject, so she was often sitting by herself at a table near the front, not that she minded, it meant she got more work done.

She was currently passing the time until the Professor entered by reading a book on healing. She'd been reading the thick book for some weeks now. It contained basic information on healing, including the origins, history and basic healing spells, which she had been practicing and becoming quite competent at. She was certain that she could become a Healer, the only problem would be getting accepted for training, it was quite a popular career and openings only ever came rarely at institutions as reputable as St. Mungo's.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by the seat next to her scraping back, and someone sitting beside her. She looked over and froze eyes wide in shock.

"Quite an interesting book you're reading, Granger. Not really a shock though, you've got a reputation as a bit of a brain, don't you?" Blaise Zabini smirked at her.

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked, quite rudely, but frankly this was not normal behaviour. She'd not spoken to Blaise Zabini once in her time at Hogwarts, especially since he was always good friends with Draco...

Her eyes widened in panic. "What has Draco told you?" She asked, before realising she just hung herself by asking such a question. She attempted to compose herself.

He chuckled at her panicked expression, which she was frantically trying to disguise, "Everything, Granger."

"I don't know what you're talking about." She knew it was pointless to lie, she was horrible at it and he was a Slytherin, they were the experts at detecting and telling lies.

Blaise shook his head, smiling. "Come on, Granger. You don't fool me. It's always the innocent ones you have to watch out for. I have to admit, I am a little shocked though, at you and Malfoy, I mean. Odd couple if ever I saw one."

"I wouldn't exactly call us a 'couple'," She said bitterly, thinking of Pansy at Draco's side, "You can't tell anyone!" She added hastily, trying not to panic.

"Of course not. Malfoy's my mate, he _is_ a git, but he's my mate nonetheless, and in extension that makes _you_ my mate also."

Hermione stared at him curiously. Was he taking the piss? She couldn't tell. "W-what about Pansy? That means you're her friend too..."

Blaise made a face of disgust, which Hermione probably would have laughed at, had she not been on the verge of a panic attack. "Pansy is a whole different story. Truth be told, I've never liked her. Plus, Malfoy's a lot _cheerier_ lately...since you came along, that is."

Hermione blushed. She didn't know she had that effect on Draco. It was nice to think that they made each other happy. If only pansy wasn't in the picture...

"Anyway, Granger, I'm here to see what all the fuss is about. What's so special about Gryffindors Golden Girl that makes her irresistible to a Slytherin?" He winked, as Hermione blushed awkwardly.

The professor walked in at that moment and gave the class instructions. Hermione and Blaise worked well together throughout the lesson. Translating runes and chatting idly. Hermione was surprised at how intelligent and, well, decent Blaise was. She had always had an image of Slytherins being evil, that is until Draco came along she supposed. Though she'd always thought him evil til she gave him a chance.

She wondered what it would be like, to be with Draco, and be friends with Blaise, hanging out together, maybe going on double dates sometimes. She pushed the thought out of her head as the bell rang; that would never happen, so she shouldn't think of such things. Besides, those were the sort of things Lavender Brown would fantasise about. She repressed a shudder.

Blaise politely walked her down to the dungeons for Potions, where they parted when they entered the classroom, but not before he placed a swift kiss on her hand, causing her to blush at the sudden whispers around the room, coming especially from Lavender and Parvarti. Hermione groaned, luckily Harry and Ron weren't here yet, they probably would have attacked the boy.

At lunch, Hermione sat at the Gryffindor table with Harry and Ron, who immediately started stuffing their faces. Hermione spooned some potato salad and chicken onto her plate and began to eat at a pace much more desirable then her counterparts.

Her eye kept wandering over to the Slytherin table, to an absent seat next to pug-face Pansy and Blaise. She sighed. It wasn't like he ever talked to her during the day but she just like to watch him...not like a stalker or anything. She suddenly felt pathetic.

Blaise caught her eye and gave her a quick nod, which she returned. Hermione continued to watch him as he turned to Pansy, who was frantically scribbling on some parchment with her quill, his eyes seemed to widen as he read over her shoulder and in one second he had sneezed rather loudly and dramatically, and her parchment caught on fire, causing her to fall backwards out of her seat.

Hermione snorted in amusement, causing Ron and Harry to look in the direction of her gaze. As soon as they saw the commotion, they began guffawing, along with most of the halls occupants, as Pansy frantically put out the fire on the table, while abusing Blaise in the process because he wasn't helping at all.

"Bloody hell," said Ron, turning back to his plate, along with Harry, "that was hilarious." His attention quickly turned back to his food and he began stuffing his face again.

Hermione looked back over to Blaise, who was now eating his lunch next to a very flustered Pansy, who had clearly given up trying to write. Blaise caught her eye again and winked, a smirk playing on his lips.

_Wandless magic_.

Hermione would recognise it anywhere, especially since she'd used the same tactics to confund Cormack McLaggen last year. She wondered what Pansy was writing that made Blaise feel the need to destroy it like that. She was also slightly impressed, not many wizards were competent in wandless magic at this age.

Her thoughts were interrupted by an brown owl dropping in front of Harry.

Ron looked up, "Bit late isn't he, breakfast was hours ago."

Harry shrugged and pulled the note off, reading it quickly. "It's from McGonagall. She wants me to come to her office."

"What, now?" Ron asked, scandalized, "Its lunch time."

"Oh honestly Ron, It's not like he'll starve. I think the more important issue here is that you'll be late for Charms, Harry."

He shrugged. "I'm sure McGonagall will give me a late note, plus I doubt we'll be learning anything new. I'll see you guys later." He left out of the Great Hall doors.

"I wonder what that was about?" Said Hermione, looking toward where Harry had just exited.

"Dunno." Muttered Ron, his mouth bursting with food. Hermione rolled her eyes.

In McGonagall's office, Draco sat stiffly in front of her desk.

"Is it really necessary that _he _come?" Said Draco, moodily.

"Yes Mr Malfoy, Mr Potter is one of the leaders of the Order he will be very interested in what you have to say, I'm sure."

"I'm sure," Draco muttered sarcastically.

There was a knock at the door. "Come in." McGonagall instructed.

Harry walked in and closed the door behind him, before freezing as he spotted that the Head mistress was not alone.

"What's he doing here?" He asked, trying to keep the malice out of his voice, but failing.

"Now, Now, Potter. We have moved past the war, Draco has shown his allegiance, we shall not hold grudges for past actions." She motioned him to sit on a chair beside Malfoy, he did so reluctantly.

McGonagall spoke, "Mr Malfoy has come to me with a very interesting story, Potter. I'm sure you'd love to hear it, because it will certainly come to benefit the Order."

"The Order?" Harry questioned, "What does he have to do with the Order?"

McGonagall held up some papers. "These are the papers to a manor in the country, remarkably close to Hogwarts. 36 rooms, is that right?" Draco nodded once. "Well, Potter, this manor now belongs to the Order of the Phoenix." She sat the papers back down in her desk. "I've already signed them, and we have Mr Malfoy to thank for this generous donation." She gave a small smile to Draco, who was staring at the desk, not meeting either person's eye.

Harry snorted. "What are you playing at Malfoy? How does this fit into some plan you have?"

Draco seethed. "It's not a plan, Potter. I simply don't want to follow the path I am on. Let's just say, I've found... something worth fighting for." He almost smirked at the thought of what Harry would say if he knew what that something, or rather, _who _that some_one _was.

Harry stared at him suspiciously for a moment before turning to McGonagall. "How close is it to Hogwarts?"

"Within 50 kilometres," Draco answered instead, "It was meant to be my family's permanent home, but my mother disliked it because it rained too often. So we bought the other manor, but kept this one. It hasn't been used for years, though we have elves there tending to it. It's still in good condition."

Harry nodded, not wanting to express any kindness or gratitude to the boy who was his enemy since day one.

"Who will be using it?" Inquired Harry.

"I've already sent an owl to Headquarters to tell the order members there the news, and the location. They should be there later today, to have a look around and organise who will be staying there, and possibly put up some wards. It may even become new headquarters, since it is such close proximity to the school, and it's much larger than the current one, from what Mr Malfoy has informed me."

"How do we know it's not a trap though? What if someone is waiting there for them?"

"It's not a trap, Potter." Said Malfoy, dully.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Professor, how can you be certain it's not?"

She pulled another piece of paper out of her draw. It had a list of names on it, and locations next to them. "This is a list of death eaters, and there latest hideout locations. I believe Mr Malfoy because he was the one that gave me this. We have Order members investigating these leads as we speak."

Harry narrowed his eyes toward Draco, and then turned back to the Professor, "I still don't trust him."

McGonagall sighed, "Very well, Potter. But I have reason to think Mr Malfoy is trustworthy. So I shall be following these leads. Not to mention, he has also donated a large amount of Galleons which now sits in a special vault for the Order of the Phoenix. At this rate we will be able to recruit new members, and pay for their training, not to mention buy new equipment for our current members."

Harry seemed quite shocked at this news, but quickly recovered. "Is that all, Professor?"

"Yes, Potter that is all. Oh, and I ask you one favour, do not tell anyone of this just yet. We do not want news of Draco's change of allegiance to get out before we have tracked down the names on this list. It could put his very life in danger."

Harry made a face, and Draco could tell that he wouldn't mind if his life was in danger, not that he blamed him, he felt the same about Harry. "Very well, Professor."

McGonagall, seeming to notice Harry's expression, continued. "This means you can't inform Mr Weasley or Miss Granger, either, Potter."

Draco looked up at the sound of Hermione's name, but Harry was looking at the Professor and didn't notice. He looked as though he was ready to argue, but with a stern look from her, he thought against it. "Of course, Professor."

"Very well, Potter. You may go."

Harry stood, before he left, he hissed to Draco, "Don't think you can buy forgiveness, ferret."

Draco felt the anger rise in him, but he did nothing, he knew his forgiveness couldn't be bought. That wasn't what this was about. This was about helping himself, and more importantly, helping _her_.

After Harry left, Draco continued to sit in silence for a few moments until McGonagall spoke up.

"I have to admit, Draco, I am quite surprised at this myself. It's the last thing I would've expected from you, I'm sorry to admit." She offered him a biscuit out of a tartan patterned tin, he politely held his hand up to decline.

"Things have just changed lately. I guess you could say it was a long time coming."

McGonagall nodded in understanding. "Very well, Mr Malfoy. I shall not question your motivation any longer. Is there anything more I can do for you?"

Draco paused for a moment, "Well yes, there is, actually."

McGonagall looked at him expectantly, her hands linking in front of her. "Go on."

"Our NEWT results, we aren't due to get them for a couple of weeks, correct?"

McGonagall furrowed her brow in confusion, "Yes that is correct. Are you wishing to get your results earlier? I suppose that could be arranged." She agreed, but he noticed that she was rather puzzled about why he would want his results early.

Draco continued hesitantly, "It's not my results that are needed...It's Hermione Granger's."

**A/N:**

**I don't really like this chapter, but I hope the length makes up for its cruddiness.**

**Let me know what you think, I need more reviews :P**

**Cheers!**

**Leni**


	9. Secrets Come Out

Several note-worthy things were about to happen today, but as Hermione was currently brushing her hair and saying a quick charm that controlled most of its frizz, she was none the wiser.

She knew something was going on, of course, she was the brightest which of her age! When Harry got back from his meeting with Professor McGonagall two days ago and refused to tell them what exactly happened, Hermione had grown suspicious, and she had been thinking about it ever since, that is when she wasn't thinking of a certain blonde haired boy.

She knew it couldn't be anything too horrible, since Voldemort was gone, so she was certain it wasn't a case of mortal peril, but she was still curious. She didn't like being left out of the loop. Despite the fact that Ron was as in the dark as she was, he didn't seem to mind at all.

Hermione gathered her bag, and began making her way down to the Great Hall. Harry, Ron and Ginny were sitting at the Gryffindor table, as per usual, and Ron was stuffing his face, which again was not an unusual occurrence.

She sat in the seat beside Ron, across from Harry and Ginny. They greeted her in the usual manner, though she noticed they were giving her odd looks. After attempting to ignore these looks for a few minutes, Hermione huffed in annoyance and finally looked up from her half buttered toast.

"Why are you looking at me so oddly?" She questioned; the impatience clear in her voice.

The two boys looked down at their plates quickly, obviously scared to get in her bad books, but Ginny, being just as feisty as Hermione didn't falter at all. In fact, she sat there looking at Hermione in a contemplative manner for a few minutes, chewing on a piece of bacon. After an awkward stare-off, in which the boys were looking nervously between the two, Ginny's shoulders slumped and she breathed out in relief.

"No, I don't believe it." She said, as if it settled the matter. Hermione, however, was uncertain about what matter was being settled.

"What are you talking about?" She asked, narrowing her eyes in confusion.

"Oh, it's just this rumour Lavender and Parvarti have been spreading." Said Ginny, nonchalantly.

Hermione raised an eyebrow in question, feeling her blood boil at the thought of Lavender Brown, "Care to clarify?"

The boys looked more worried than ever, both attempting to stuff their faces as fast as they could so they wouldn't be called upon for answers. Hermione assumed it was also so they could run off before an outburst. They'd faced Voldemort, but they couldn't face a moody teenage girl. She almost rolled her eyes.

"Well, Lavender has been saying that you and Blaise Zabini, have been seeing each other secretly. She also had a few _other _choice words to describe your behaviour, but she stopped when she saw me. I think she remembers the last time she crossed me..." Ginny drifted off, smiling to herself, "But anyway, I knew it was a lie. She said she saw him kiss your hand in Potions, but Harry and Ron do Potions with you, and they saw nothing, so it's obvious she's lying. She's pathetic really."

Ginny turned her focus onto her eggs, waiting for confirmation from Hermione, when she received none; she looked up to see Hermione staring down at her plate, blushing slightly. Ginny threw down her knife and fork, making a loud clattering noise and causing Ron and Harry to jump at the sound.

"No. Bloody. Way," Ginny said, punctuating each word. She was looking at Hermione, eyes wide, "It's true!"

This seemed to shake Harry and Ron out of their shock, and they looked at Hermione with much the same facial expressions as Ginny was currently adorning.

"No, no, no," hissed Hermione, looking around nervously in case someone over heard their conversation, "it's not true, I mean yes, he kissed my hand, but we aren't seeing each other, I promise. I'm not sure why he even spoke to me..." She knew that was a lie, but she certain wasn't going to be talking about that anytime soon.

Ginny seemed to snap out of her shock and become bobbing up and down in excitement. "He wants you, Hermione! Lucky you, he's one of the sexiest guys in the school-" "Hey!" "-Sorry, Harry, but its true!"

Hermione blushed, feeling awkward in this situation. Ginny on the other hand, looked rather ecstatic. "He doesn't like me, Ginny. Now please, keep it down." She noticed some curious 5th years looking at Ginny from a few seats down, obviously wondering what had her bubbling with pleasure.

Ginny attempted to contain herself, but looked as though she wanted to squeal with excitement. "You should ask him to the Graduation Ball!" She giggled, after a few moments of attempted silence. Harry and Ron were looking between the two girls as if they were from another planet.

"I'm not going to do that!" Hermione hissed, attempting to keep her voice down as more ears from the seats next to them seemed to focus on the conversation.

"Oh, why not? He obviously wants you," Ginny said, giving Hermione a sly smile.

Hermione was about to protest when Ron spoke up, "I was actually going to ask Hermione to come with me. I know it's late notice, but I'm not going with Lavender anymore. Just as friends, I mean." He added quickly to Hermione, who looked like she was about to disagree.

She thought for a moment, and then agreed. "Alright, I'll go with you, just as friends." She smiled, as Ginny groaned.

"Come on, Hermione. Why would you waste such a night on my brother when you could be in the arms of some sexy Italian Stallion?" She winked.

"Ginny!" Harry cried, looking at her incredulously. Ginny giggled, and proceeded to whisper in Harry's ear, causing him to blush and swallow nervously.

Hermione and Ron shared similar looks of disgust, before Ron whispered, "At least we've got Ginny off your back about Zabini. I'm not sure what he's playing at, but I know you aren't thick enough to go for a Slytherin."

He turned back to his food, not noticing the look of panic on Hermione's face. Across the room, Blaise strolled in, sending a satisfied smirk her way. She narrowed her eyes at him, he'd clearly her the rumours for himself.

She was gladly distracted, however, by a fluttering of wings as a large group of owls flew into the hall, carrying letters and packages to various tables. She was only expecting her Daily Prophet subscription, but was surprised when two owls landed in front of her, knocking her goblet of pumpkin juice onto Ron, who swore in annoyance.

She removed the newspaper from the first owl, handed it a Knut and a piece of bacon, and shooed it away. She didn't recognise the second owl that was carrying a rather thick letter. She removed the envelope, handed it a piece of bacon also, and watched it fly off.

"Who's that off?" Harry questioned, nodding toward the letter.

"I'm not sure," Hermione replied, "I wasn't expecting anything. I usually don't get letters." It was true, her parents didn't write that often, not really liking the use of owl delivery. She couldn't think of anyone else who would think to write to her.

She turned the envelope over in her hands and recognised the wax seal immediately. "It's from St. Mungo's." She said, feeling rather confused, "I don't know why they'd be writing to me, I haven't written to them."

"Strange." Said Harry, nibbling at his breakfast while still watching the letter, "Well? Are you going to open it?"

"Oh, right." Hermione had been so busy staring at the wax seal; she hadn't yet attempted to open it.

She slid her thumb under the seal and broke it, the envelope opened and the first thing that fell out was a sheet of parchment with a hand written letter on it. She read it, her eyes widening and her hands shaking as she did so.

"What does it say?" Harry and Ginny said at the same time, both looking at her expectantly.

Hermione looked up at them, her eyes wide in shock, she wasn't sure she could form a sentence. "Th-they accepted me for training as a Healer. I start two weeks after we graduate."

Her three friends all seemed to understand how important this was to her. Ginny squealed and clapped her hands with excitement. Harry smiled brightly at her, wishing her words of congratulations. Ron patted her on the shoulder, saying he knew she could do it.

"I didn't even know you'd applied!" Said Ginny, "You should have said something!"

Hermione paused, furrowing her brow in realisation. She _hadn't _applied.

"I didn't apply, not yet anyway; we haven't even got our NEWT results yet. I had to wait for them before I could submit my application." She said, pulling out the remaining contents of the envelope. It contained a number of forms she needed to fill out and send back so they could officially register her. It also contained a list of books and equipment she would need, Hermione frowned, that wouldn't come cheap. The last thing to fall out was a small white badge, with the words 'Trainee Healer' Written in block letters, but as soon as Hermione picked up the badge her name appeared, so it now read.

**Hermione Granger**

**Trainee Healer**

She felt the tears well up in her eyes. She knew she was intelligent, but she wasn't certain she'd ever be accepted. It was Hermione's dream, and it seemed to be coming true.

"It's a bit odd isn't it," Ginny said, inspecting the badge from across the table. Harry had picked up Hermione's copy of the Daily Prophet and was now unwrapping it, "you didn't apply yet they send you that. Guess your reputation precedes you, Mione." Ginny grinned at her friend and Hermione, feeling completely elated, couldn't help but smile back, though in her mind she was completely at a loss for how this had happened. She was certainly happy about it, but it was in her nature to question what she didn't understand.

"I'd like to think that's it, Gin, but i think it might be something a little more then-"

"No-fucking-way." Harry interrupted; his eyes were wide, staring at the front page of the newspaper.

Ginny hit him on the arm and hissed, "Harry don't swear, there are first years around." A couple of seats down a first year sat, staring wide eyed at Harry, looking thoroughly shocked. Ginny gave him a small smile.

"No," said Harry, thrusting the paper toward Ginny, "look! I can't believe he was telling the truth."

"What are you muttering about?" Ginny took the paper irritably, not appreciating having it shoved in her face. She read the cover page lazily before her eyes widened and her expression became similar to Harry's. "This is great."

Hermione and Ron were becoming rather impatient not knowing what was causing such as fuss, so Hermione snatched the paper from Ginny's hands and her eyes searched the front page. The story didn't take long to find, it took up the whole front page, which adorned moving pictures of several scruffy looking men, the head line read: Death-Eaters in hiding caught after Anonymous Tip-off'.

"Well go on and read it, Hermione," said Ron impatiently, having attempted and failed to read the story over her shoulder.

Hermione cleared her throat, "Several dangerous Death Eaters have been reprimanded after an anonymous tip-off which included the location of their hide-outs. The tip off was given to the group known as The Order of the Phoenix, which was founded by the late Albus Dumbledore. The group played a large role in the defeat of You-Know-Who, with Harry Potter himself being one of the leaders. It is not yet known who provided the information to the Order, with Hogwarts Headmistress and Order leader, Minerva McGonagall refusing to provide names. It is believed, however that the individual may be an ex-Death Eater themselves, though these reports cannot be confirmed. The Death-Eaters in question include those who hid after the fall of You-Know-Who, including well known wizarding names such as Goyle, Matchett, Black and Parkinson. The Order and Ministry Aurors are now investigating further leads to catch the remaining Death Eaters who are currently still at large."

"Blimey," muttered Ron, "You think they'll find the rest?"

"I certainly hope so," said Hermione, "I just wonder who the anonymous tip-off was from. I wonder if we know them?"

"I know who it is," said Harry, "I suppose it doesn't matter if I say anything now, since most of them have been caught. But still, you can't say a word to anyone if I tell you."

"We won't say anything, right?" Ginny said, looking to Ron and Hermione for confirmation, the other's nodded.

"Ok, well, I really shouldn't be saying anything," Harry whispered, leaning in, the others did the same, "McGonagall told me not too...but when I went up to have that meeting with her, we weren't alone. Malfoy was there."

Hermione's eyes widened and her heart started racing. "Malfoy?" asked Ron, confused.

Harry simply nodded. "He's donated a heap of galleons and new headquarters to the Order, when asked how we could trust him, McGonagall pulled out a sheet of parchment with names and locations, said she trusted him because he was handing her vital information. He was the informer."

The group sat in stunned silence, Hermione was completely at a loss for words. Malfoy was the informer? Is that what he'd been working on for the past couple of weeks? Did this mean he was switching sides like she'd suggested? It was all too much to think of right now, she had to see him and talk to him.

"I'm going to go to the library, quickly," she said, "I forgot I've got a book over-due." She grabbed her bag and walked off.

Ron shook his head in disbelief, "Not even news like this can get her to stop thinking about books."

Harry and Ginny shrugged and continued to talk about this latest news in hushed whispers.

In the dungeons, Draco was just waking up. He'd had a late night of listening to Pansy and he was in an even fouler mood for the fact that he'd been forced to do that instead of spending the night with Hermione.

He reluctantly pulled himself out of bed and headed toward the shower. He stood under the warm water for what felt like hours, trying to relax his muscles and wake himself up. He felt instantly more refreshed as he dried himself off, but he was still in a bad mood.

He dressed and brushed his hair before exiting his room to find Pansy sitting on a leather sofa sobbing, whilst gripping the Daily Prophet. He almost turned back around to avoid her, but she'd spotted him already. "Draco!" she cried, "Have you heard what's happened?"

Draco reluctantly walked forward and planted himself on the sofa opposite Pansy. She continued to talk between tears, "My father's been arrested, they found him last night. My mother sent a letter when it happened but it only got here this morning, not before I read it in the Prophet though." She through the newspaper down in anger. Draco sat silently, listening.

"They somehow knew he was hiding in France; I didn't even know that! My mother wouldn't tell me where he was!" She threw herself back on the couch, "He's going to be sent to Azkaban."

Draco was happy to hear this, in his opinion, Pansy's father deserved it. He'd tortured muggles in his time as a Death Eater. He had to admit that he did feel bad for the girl, despite how horrible she was. "I'm sorry to hear that, Pansy."

Pansy looked up, surprised at his lack of venom. "Do you not understand, Draco? They're saying the person who gave the locations is a death eater, or at least a follower of the Dark Lord. That means they're a traitor! Don't you care? Your father wanted you to help finish what the dark Lord started; whoever did this has just ruined those chances! When the others find out who it was..." She trailed off, letting Draco's imagination fill in the blanks, "Don't you want some revenge? He's just ruined all your plans!"

Draco was staring at the evil glint in Pansy's eye; it made him a little worried to think he'd ever mirrored such feelings. "I'm sure it'll all work out." He said casually, not really in the mood to pretend he hated the world.

Pansy stared at him in disbelief. "What the hell is wrong with you, Draco?" She cried, coming to stand in front of him, he didn't look her in the eye. "You've been acting odd the last few weeks. These people locked my father up; they locked your father up! How can you not care?"

Draco let out a heavy sigh. "I'm over caring Pansy." Truth was, he had actually come to care too much, just not about her.

Pansy shook her head in disgust. "I always knew you were a boy trying to act like a man. No wonder your father despises you," she spat. She turned to walk away, but Draco shot up, grabbing her upper arm tightly causing her to yelp in pain.

"Listen here, you dumb bitch," he hissed dangerously in her ear, "Do not speak about me or my family, or you will regret it dearly. Do you understand?"

Pansy whimpered and attempted to break free of his grip, which tightened. "Yes, ok. Just let me go." He pushed her away, letting her land on the couch in a whimpering, but silently fuming heap.

He had never gotten violent with a girl before, and he was quite shocked at himself, but Pansy had pushed him to see red one too many times. In his mind the chapter of his life involving Pansy Parkinson was closed, never to be opened again.

He strolled out the door of the common room and up the steps out of the dungeons just in time to see a flash of curly brown hair going up the staircase; he looked up and saw Granger running up the stairs. He smiled to himself and followed. He didn't notice a raven haired girl exit the dungeons in time to see this.

Draco followed casually behind Granger as she made her way up to the owlery; he wanted to wait until they were in a secluded area before he made his presence known. He admired her from behind. The way her curls bounced as she ran, the length of her legs, the way she nearly tripped on her own feet as she skipped up the owlery steps. He smirked as her clumsiness.

He lost sight of her as she entered the owlery, but a few seconds later as he entered, he saw her hunched over the table, scribbling on a piece of parchment. He snuck silently behind her, til there were only two feet separating them. He reached forward and gave her bum a little pinch which caused her to jump and yelp, and spin to glare at the culprit.

Her glare faded as she saw him though, and instead of reprimanding him, she encased him in a suffocating hug. Not one to argue when she was being forward with him, he hugged her back just as tightly. After a few seconds they broke apart.

"Who were you writing to?" He asked, eyeing the parchment.

"Oh, well, you actually." She laughed.

He smiled. "I see, and what were you writing to tell me?"

She put her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest. "I was going to ask you to meet me. Have you seen this morning's Daily Prophet?"

Draco breathed in her scent, resting his chin on the crown of her head. "I've been told what it contained." He sneered thinking of Pansy.

Hermione paused for a few moments, "...Harry told me everything."

Draco froze. "What are you talking about?"

"He told me what happened in McGonagall's office. How you were the one who gave the Order the tip-off." She said, smiling up at him.

"Keep your voice down," he hissed looking around nervously; she rolled her eyes, good naturedly.

"You're paranoid." She laughed.

"I have good reason to be. Anyway, Potter wasn't supposed to say anything. I knew I should have made him make an unbreakable vow."

"Oh come on, it's just me...and Ron and Ginny," she added quietly.

Draco groaned in annoyance. "I thought Gryffindors kept their words. If I'm killed because this gets out, I'll know who to blame."

Hermione's expression changed to a frown. "Why would it matter if it got out? It's not like they can do anything, most of them are locked up."

"Granger, traitors are the worst of the worst. If it gets out that I'm the one who gave up the locations of those Death Eaters, they would see to it that the last thing they do is torture and kill me." He frowned, "That's why we have to keep us a secret, they wouldn't hesitate to hurt you as well, especially because I care about you and you're muggle born."

Hermione nodded, feeling a mixture of emotions between the fact that her life could be in danger and that he just admitted he cared about her.

The comfortable silence was broken, however, by the sound of something grazing on the stone steps outside the owlery. They broke apart instantly and moved to make it look as though they were sending separate letters. However, no one entered. Draco couldn't help the bad feeling that ran through him.

He strode to Hermione, and whispered in her ear, "I'll come see you tonight." With a quick peck on her lips, he was briskly walking out of the owlery and down the steps.

In an abandoned corridor, Pansy Parkinson stood breathless and fuming from what she'd just seen and heard. She waited until she saw Draco pass by, and a minute or so later, Hermione turned down the corridor opposite. Pansy raced back up to the owlery, knowing she was going to be late for her first class, but knowing this was far too important to wait. She composed three letters, containing information on what she'd just found out, and sent them off with three separate owls. She was going to make sure the blood traitor and the mudblood got what was coming to them. With a satisfied smirk she began her walk back down to the dungeons for her first class.

**A/N: I know, I know, it's short. But I wanted to wait until the next chapter before I continued, since I think this is an ok cliff hanger and it might be too long otherwise. I don't want to stuff it all into this chapter, either.**

**I would also just like to say thank you, once again, to everyone who has read, reviewed, subscribed and favourited this story. I think we're getting close to the home stretch now...atleast I hope so :S. I have other story's that I want to post, from ones I had started uploading on a different fan fic site, but I think I might move them to here, since that other site limits the number of uploads you can do, which means posting a story takes about 33 years :/. I may over-exaggerate slightly... So, anyway, after I'm done with this little number, I'll be starting on a new one and uploading the chapters that I've done so far and finishing it here. I suppose I could upload it now, but I'm quite horrible at multi-tasking ha. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. **

**Cheers!**

**Leni**


	10. The Trap

Draco made his way up to Hermione's dorm later that night. He hadn't even bothered to give Pansy an excuse because he didn't care what she said anymore and also because he hadn't seen her outside of classes all day. She'd been acting odd. He assumed it was just another dose of silent treatment for the fight they had earlier that day, but he couldn't help but hope that she wouldn't talk to him again. He'd already decided he was done with her, and he guessed she would feel the same when she discovered there was no more Malfoy fortune for her to spend on extravagant gifts for herself.

Draco met Hermione outside her dorms, and they snuck into her bedroom together, careful not to wake the Head Boy. He'd thought to bring a spare set of clothes this time, since he despised looking like a wrinkled mess the next morning, so he sat his bag containing them on the floor by the end of her bed.

"Sorry I was so hasty earlier today in the owlery," he said, stripping down to his boxers, "I just have this bad feeling..." He drifted off with a worried expression on his face.

"It's alright," said Hermione, she was already in her pyjamas in bed. She turned on her side to watch him, admiring the sculpted chest she'd kissed her way down so many times, "we should've been more careful. Anyone could've came in and saw us together."

"I wouldn't care so much if I knew it was safe for us...I suppose I wouldn't mind seeing the look on Potters face if it was him who caught us."

Hermione hit him on the arm lightly, he simply smirked, she frowned to herself, "I worry about that. What would happen if they found out, I mean, they wouldn't accept us, I'm not even sure what 'us' is." She sighed.

Draco would have normally changed the subject when it came to this sort of talk, but he had wondered himself what would happen with them after they graduated. He had given away his inheritance, though he still had many shares in businesses that would provide him adequate money to live comfortably with, so that wasn't an issue. But that isn't what he was worried about; he was more worried about what would become of him and Hermione once they didn't have the safety of the Hogwarts walls to protect them. They were polar opposites in social class and blood, but there was something there that he liked, that he hadn't found anywhere else. He wasn't sure he was ready to give her up yet, or _ever._

"I don't know what will happen with us..." he said, slowly. It was the truth, "I know I care about you though." He felt weak letting his feeling be known, but she had provided him with hope and a sense of control over his life; it was because of him that he had made such drastic changes to his life, and inevitably, his future. He owed her a lot.

"Have you decided what you're doing yet?" He asked. He already knew the answer to that; he owned shares in St. Mungo's and during a meeting two days ago he had taken her NEWT results and a recommendation from McGonagall, along with his own recommendation, and suggested they accept her for Healer training. He'd like to think his influence helped, but as soon as they saw how skilled she was, they'd accepted immediately.

Hermione's face brightened. "It's funny actually; I got a letter from St. Mungo's today saying I've been accepted for Healer training. I didn't actually apply yet..." she said, looking deep in thought for a second, but she brightened immediately, "I suppose I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth though."

Draco furrowed his brow, "What does looking in a horse's mouth have to do with it?"

Hermione laughed, "Oh, never mind," she said attempting to stifle her giggles.

Draco felt like he was left out of some private joke, which he didn't like one bit. Suddenly he was hit with an idea; he jumped out of her bed, clad in only his boxers and began prying through her underwear draw. Hermione, who up until this point had been giggling to herself, noticed what he was doing and jumped up with a shriek.

"Get out of there," she hissed, suddenly remembering that Ernie was asleep not too far away. She hoped he hadn't heard her giggling; no doubt she'd look crazy.

Draco turned to her with a satisfied smirk, dangling her infamous pair of frilly knickers in front of her face. Her cheeks flushed and she made to grab them, but his Seeker skills were too quick for her.

"Say you're sorry for laughing at me," he said, enjoying the look of horror on her face.

"I'm sorry, alright," she said, huffing, "Just put them back."

Draco stroked his chin comically, looking deep in thought. "I'll forgive you on one condition. You wear these for me, right now."

If it was possible, Hermione looked even more horrified. "No way."

"Alright I guess I'll just have to keep these then, might send them down to my room right now. Hope Blaise doesn't find them first though, if the rumours are true about you two." He made to grab his wand off of her side table, but she grabbed his arm.

"Fine!" She huffed. He handed her the knickers looking rather smug.

She pulled down her pyjama bottoms until they sat around her ankles; she then stepped out and tossed them toward her laundry basket with her foot. Draco felt himself heating up at the sight of her, but she quickly slipped on the frilly knickers, which actually made it difficult to restrain himself from ripping them back off.

"Satisfied?" she said, crossing her arms and glaring at him.

"Nope. Take your shirt off." He said, edging towards her.

Before she even had a chance to obey his orders, he had pulled it over her head himself.

"Much better," he muttered as he collapsed on top of her on the bed and thoroughly had his was with her, before the fell into a satisfied slumber.

They awoke to the horrible ringing nose of Hermione's muggle alarm clock. Draco groaned. "Shut that thing up," he muttered into Hermione's hair, though the sound was rather muffled by her thick curls. He heard her mumble something inaudible, before she reached over and stopped the alarm clock. He was rather content to settle back into the mould of her body, but she jumped out of bed before he had a chance. He opened his eyes before deciding it was far too bright with the light from the window shining onto the crimson walls, so he attempted to block it out by covering his face with Hermione's pillow.

"You really aren't a morning person." Hermione commented, returning from the bathroom, she began to rifle through draws for some underwear.

"Of course I'm not. It's too bright up here. At least the dungeons have no windows. I can't imagine waking up to this every morning." He sat up rubbing his eyes tiredly, and focused on Hermione dressing. It was hypnotising to watch.

"Well you have been waking up here every morning for the past few weeks, so you should be used to it by now." She looked over her shoulder and sent him a grin; he was feeling far too tired and moody to return it.

"I suppose I could get used to this," he said eyeing Hermione, he understood how his words could be taken and was pleased when she blushed. "Why are you getting up so early anyway?"

Hermione never got up when he left; she always slept for at least half an hour more. Though, he wished she had continued sleeping when she started whistling to herself. Morning people are difficult to handle.

"I just decided to get up early," she said, in between whistling some tune he'd never heard of, "I was going to send my forms back to St. Mungo's, I guess I'm a little too excited to wait any longer."

Draco smiled, he was glad she was happy, and he was glad to have helped her, "Well I guess I better get up then," he sighed.

They dressed in comfortable silence. Draco stopping every now and then to admire the way Hermione's stocking slipped up her leg, or the way her curl's shone in the early morning light. He packed up his clothes in his bag, and found Hermione's frilly knickers balled up on the floor from when he'd thrown them in haste last night. He sneakily stuck them in his pocket, smirking at the back of her head as she brushed her hair. Classes would be enjoyable today, if he just kept his hands in his pocket.

"What are you looking so pleased about?" She asked him, over her shoulder. If anything it made his smirk more prominent.

"Oh, nothing." He said, with fake innocence. Hermione narrowed her eyes at him, and turned her gaze to her room. Deciding nothing looked suspicious or out of place, she figured he must just be a bit odd in the mornings. She shrugged, "Let's go then." She walked out of her dorm and Draco followed, until he ran into her.

He looked up to see Ernie McMillan staring between them both, a look of shock and disbelief plastered on his face. "We forgot to check it was empty." Hermione muttered, he could hear the panic in her voice, "Um good morning Ernie," she said loudly, "we were just-um-having an early morning study session."

Draco could have rolled his eyes at the pitiful excuse, at times like this it was beneficial to be a Slytherin, "Listen here McMillan," he said moving forward to stand imperiously over Ernie, "You tell anyone about what you saw here, and I'll tell your girlfriend about your little late night 'patrols' with Hannah Abbott."

"Draco!" Hermione cried, she looked toward Ernie waited for him to deny it. She was surprised when she saw the look of guilt on his face. "Ernie!" She turned her scolding onto the sandy haired boy, who was looking at her with child-like shame.

"It was one time, Hermione," he said defensively, "one time only."

"That's not what I heard." Draco said, barely hiding his smirk, "Once per week perhaps."

Ernie stuttered for a moment, "Fine!" he finally said, "don't tell anyone and I'll keep this to myself."

Draco smirked as Hermione shook her head in disappointment, "Very good," said Draco. He turned and waited to follow Hermione out the portrait hole.

"Men," Hermione muttered after a few seconds as they walked down the corridor, shaking her head in disbelief, "They're all the same."

Draco snorted, "I wouldn't exactly call McMillan or Weasley 'men'; myself, on the other hand, I think I've shown you how much of a man I am." He grinned at her seductively; she scoffed, though she hated to admit that the look he was giving her was making it almost impossible not to ravish him against the wall...

"I'm quite impressed with your bargaining skills," she said, attempting to steer her thoughts away from anything that involved Draco naked.

"Yes well, us Slytherins call it blackmail," he winked at her, "it's quite effective. Though it probably wouldn't have been quite so effective if I'd told him I already slept with his girlfriend months ago."

"Draco!" Hermione stopped to slap him across the back of the head, "You really can't keep it in your pants can you?"

Draco looked highly offended, "I've kept it in my pants for everyone but you these days," he said truthfully, Hermione's face softened, "It's a curse really; love is."

Hermione stopped short and stared at him, he seemed to realise what he'd said and was shifting awkwardly on the spot. "Slip of the tongue that... We should really get on, don't want to be spotted by someone."

He continued to walk, and Hermione slowly caught up, though she couldn't help the smile on her face and the fluttery feeling in her stomach.

They parted ways so Hermione could go to the owlery, and Draco continued down the stairs to the Slytherin dorms. He cursed himself the whole way for having let her know he may care for her just that much. Feeling rather vulnerable, he slipped into his dorms and prepared himself for the day.

Hermione was practically skipping on her way to the owlery, she knew Draco hadn't intended to say what he had, but she knew it was a good sign that he had even accidently said it.

She entered the owlery to see Pansy Parkinson posting a letter, she quickly turned away, but not before she saw Pansy send her a filthy look. She couldn't know anything could she? Hermione wondered, as she attached her envelope to a school owl. She dismissed the thought, Pansy would glare at her anyway, whether she knew about her and Draco or not. At the thought of the blonde haired Slytherin, Hermione perked up and made her way down to the Great hall for breakfast.

"What's up?" Draco looked up from his place at the Slytherin table in the Great hall to see Blaise sitting in the place next to him, and immediately reaching for a plate of bacon.

"Nothing really," Draco muttered in response. He was still feeling moody about his slip of the tongue earlier. He was currently staring across the room at the Gryffindor table where Hermione was seated next to her friends. Blaise followed his gaze.

"Ah, I see. Bit distracted, are we?" He winked, before stuffing a strip of bacon in his mouth. Draco glared at the boy.

"I'm really not in the mood for your sarcasm today Zabini, so if you want to retain the ability to produce children, I'd stay quiet."

Blaise snorted, "Funny. I got a similar threat from Pansy last night."

"You did?" Asked Draco, suddenly interested. Why would Pansy threaten Blaise?

"Yep," said Blaise, looking far too relaxed for Draco's liking, "She kept pestering me about whether those rumours are true about me and Granger. You know, that we're secretly shagging." He allowed him self to drift off in thoughts of Hermione naked, that is until Draco punched him in the arm, "Bloody hell! That hurt! Anyway... I wouldn't give her a yes or no answer so she threatened me," Draco furrowed his brow in thought, as Blaise continued, "I'm not too worried about Pansy though, I've seen her use a wand. It's pretty pathetic."

Draco had stopped listening and stood up, leaving a confused Blaise behind him. Why was Pansy so interested in whether Blaise and Granger were together, to the point where she'd threaten to hex him? It seemed too suspicious for Draco. He made his way to the Slytherin common room where he found Pansy seated in a high backed leather chair, staring into the fire.

"What are you up to, Pansy?" Draco hissed as he made to stand in front of her.

Pansy raised an eyebrow, "Well good morning to you too, Draco."

"Cut the crap. Why are you acting odd lately and why did you threaten to hex Blaise?"

Pansy laughed. It was a high pitched sound. Draco resisted the urge to block his ears. "I just wanted to see if it was true."

Draco sighed. "If what was true Pansy?" he was becoming impatient with the girl.

"If her and Blaise were really together, obviously. But I know they aren't. You got him to spread that rumour, didn't you? So that I wouldn't suspect it was you who was fucking her all along. I saw you together in the owlery. I know it was you. You're the reason my father's locked up!" Her face had contorted into one of pure disgust and rage.

Draco inwardly cursed. "You better keep this to yourself Pansy." He said, his tone threatening.

Pansy laughed. "Too late. I've already told everyone that matters, including your father, and mine. Let's just say they weren't too pleased. Even though our fathers are in Azkaban they can still send and receive mail, as long as it's not dangerous, of course. All the death eaters who are still in hiding have just got new orders." She began examining her nails, though the expression on her face did not match the casual act she put on. Draco knew she was stringing him on, keeping him waiting for answers. He decided to play along.

"And what orders are those, Pansy?"

"To kill you and the mudblood," she hissed turning to him, her face now unrecognisable it was so full of hatred.

Draco tried to hide his shock, he laughed. "Nice try, but if you kill me you don't get a sniff of the Malfoy fortune." He was bluffing, of course. There was no more fortune, and even if there was, she wouldn't be getting it anyway.

He was surprised when pansy simply laughed again. "Oh, see that threat won't work. You see, one of your fathers old business partners contacted him, saying you'd sold your shares in his business. Your father got your mother to reinvest, saying it must have just been a simple mistake. She was quite surprised to find the vault in Gringotts short of around half a million Galleons. There is no fortune left and you know it. Even if there was, you sent my father to prison! As if I'd want to marry you now, you pathetic blood traitor!"

Draco felt like his world was crumbling under his feet. "Well at least the one good thing that comes out of this is that I don't have to put up with you anymore."

Pansy scowled and stood, her face inches from his. "You won't get your mudblood either. She's as good as dead."

Draco scoffed and turned to walk back out the portrait hole, "I'd like to see you try." He threatened over his shoulder.

"Petrificus Totalus!" She cried, Draco fell to the floor, frozen. Pansy walked toward him and rolled him on his back with her foot.

"I already am," she said menacingly, in answer to his threat, "and I can't have you fucking it up for me."

As she levitated Draco into his room and onto his bed, all he could think was of how wrong Blaise was about Pansy's wand skills, because now Hermione's life was in danger because of it.

Up in the Great Hall, Hermione sat chatting amicably with her friends, while eating her porridge. The Great hall suddenly erupted into a flutter of wings and dozens of owls dropped packages and letter in front of students. Once again, Hermione was only expecting her subscription from the Daily Prophet, and once she had removed the newspaper and payed the owl, she was quite surprised to find another owl landing in front of her, it's foot becoming submerged in her porridge. She noticed it was a school owl.

She removed the letter and recognised the swirly writing immediately; it was Draco's. She excused herself from the table, and went to stand outside the doors of the great hall to read the letter.

_Hermione,_

_I don't have time to tell you what's happened, but I need you to meet me outside the Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade. I know you have classes, but this is important enough to skip them for; I also wouldn't normally ask you to leave the school, but I'm in Hogsmeade already and I'm not sure I can make it back. My father knows about us. This might be the last time I get to see you. Please leave as soon as you finish reading this._

_DM_

Hermione stared at the parchment. It was extremely suspicious. She'd only just seen Draco this morning, why would he need to leave the school? Perhaps for one of his meetings? Maybe he wasn't coming back if his father knew? That meant his father knew he was the informer.

Hermione had noticed him leave the hall half an hour ago looking tense and worried; perhaps he'd received news and had to go to Hogsmeade? Perhaps he was running away? He did say it was the last time he might see her... Hermione's heart sunk as she stared at the handwriting. She tucked it away in her robes and raced up to her dorm to retrieve her cloak.

She raced back down the stairs, and ran into Harry, Ginny and Ron. She cursed inwardly. They would be full of questions.

"Where are you off to?" Ginny questioned, eyeing Hermione's cloak.

"Oh. Um, I just have to run to Hogsmeade. McGonagall's given me a few errands that she doesn't have time to do herself." Hermione lied.

"Oh ok," said Harry, looking suspicious, "You'll miss class wont you?"

"Probably, but this is really important. I've really got to run." With that, Hermione manoeuvred around her friends and ran out the front doors of the great hall, as they stared at her back.

Meanwhile, Draco was still frozen on his bed. Pansy was sitting beside him taunting him.

"It was quite easy really," said Pansy, "I just got an old essay of yours and charmed it so the writing on the letter looks like yours. Even the mudblood would fall for it."

Draco wanted to hex her, but his muscles were frozen tight.

"She thinks she's meeting you for one last rendezvous in front of the shrieking shack," Pansy said, bitterly, "Little does she know it won't be you waiting there for her. Have fun sitting here all day, but I've got a class to get to." Pansy stood and left the room leaving Draco frozen and frustrated by his lack of control over the situation.

Little did Draco know that Blaise Zabini had seen a rather smug Pansy enter Charms, and had become suspicious, especially when Draco hadn't been seen since breakfast. He excused himself saying that he was going to the bathroom, but in reality, Blaise made his was quickly down the stairs and into the dungeons. He entered the Slytherin common room and looked around; it was completely empty. He almost went to turn around until he noticed a wand lying on the floor near the door of Draco's room; it belonged to Draco.

Blaise walked forward and grasped the wand in his hand before attempting to open the door; it was locked. He tried to unlock it using his wand, but found that someone had put wards up. _That's odd; Malfoy never wards his room..._ He began casting a series of spells, until after a couple of minutes they were broken. The door swung open and Blaise was shocked to find a petrified Draco lying on his bed, his eyes wide open and his skin resembling marble.

"Rennervate!" Cried Blaise; immediately Draco's body unfroze and he sat up quickly, almost causing Blaise to jump in surprise. Draco ran past Blaise, grabbing his wand out of the boys hand in the process.

"What are you doing, mate?" Blaise asked as he ran after Draco out the portrait hole and up the steps to the entrance hall.

"Hermione," Draco said breathlessly in way of explanation, "Pansy tricked her. She thinks she'd meeting me near the shrieking shack, but there's Death eaters waiting there!" Draco shot out the castle doors into the stormy day. Despite the season, the weather was still cool. He ignored the cool wind on his face.

"How do they know?" Blaise asked, still racing after Draco.

"Pansy saw us! She knows I informed the Order. The remaining Death Eaters have been given orders to kill us." Draco continued racing along the path. "Go back, Zabini! This doesn't concern you."

"I'm coming with you; I'm not letting my best mate go alone." Blaise argued, as the cool wind whipped at his hair around his face.

Draco didn't have time to argue, they both ran in the direction of Hogsmeade as fast as they could, hoping they weren't too late to save Hermione.

Hermione had just reached the road toward the Shrieking Shack. She could see a figure in a cloak standing in front of the fence looking toward the shack. Hermione tried to make out the features of the person but he was covered in a cloak, from head to toe, with no flash of blond hair sticking out anywhere.

She approached the person from behind until she stood just a few feet away. "Draco?" she called to the person.

The person turned around, and Hermione gasped. She recognised the man as a Death Eater. She'd seen him numerous times, but he was never high ranked enough to ever be mentioned, so she didn't know his name. She assumed that worked to his advantage when the war was over; he wouldn't be a high on the list as other more wanted Death Eaters.

The man had wiry black hair down to his shoulders. His face looked warn, like he'd been the target of a few Cruciatis curses. Hermione noticed with dismay that he was rather thickly built, she wouldn't stand a chance if he grabbed her. She decided she needed to keep her distance. She backed up a few steps.

"Well hello there mudblood," the Death eater said in a gruff, teasing voice, "I'm sorry but you won't find your little blood traitor boyfriend here; just me." He stepped toward her; Hermione tried to turn on the spot and apparate but was stopped by a slicing hex to the leg which made her collapse to the ground, covering the path with her blood. The death eater laughed as she whimpered in pain. He sent another slicing hex which got her shoulder; the blood began spilling out as she attempted to stop the flow with her hand.

"Not so tough now you haven't got Harry Potter here to protect you, are you?" He was edging ever closer, Hermione knew she would stand no hope if he grabbed her.

Hermione raised her wand and cried, "Expelliarmus!" The death eater was thrown backwards into the fence that ran in front of the Shrieking shack. Hermione stood as quick as she could on her bleeding leg; she knew it would be impossible to apparate with these injuries without splinching herself, her only hope now was to run to Hogsmeade to get help.

She ran with a limp toward the small town, not sparing a look behind her. When she heard a roar of anger she whimpered; she had to be brave but her heart was racing a mile a minute and the tears began to leak from her eyes. She couldn't help but wonder if Draco did this to her. Did he set her up? The thought made her tears come more rapidly.

Around her, hexes were flying into trees and on the ground around her, she sent a disarming hex over her shoulder but knew it hadn't hit when she felt another slicing hex hit straight down her back; she collapsed on the ground in pain, as she heard the death eater approach from behind her, chuckling.

"Almost got away, didn't you? You'll be wishing you did when I'm done with you, mudblood."

He held her to the ground, his large hand around the back of her neck, his foot on her still bleeding back.

She heard approaching footsteps from ahead, the death eater behind her spoke. "About bloody time, Smith! She nearly got away, sent me into a fence! Where've you been skulking about?"

The death eater in front chuckled darkly, all she could see of him were his boots covered in dirt. "Relax, Sylvester. I was getting here; if you can't handle a little mudblood girl, then perhaps someone else should have done the job."

Hermione felt Sylvester tighten his grip on her neck, nearly choking her. "There is no one else, if you haven't noticed, they're all dead or in Azkaban," Sylvester hissed angrily.

"Yes, yes," said Smith impatiently, "I'm aware of this. What were we told to do with the girl, just kill her? Seems like no fun."

"We only got orders to kill her, didn't say how. I say we make an example of her. One last act for the Dark Lord and everything he stood for." Hermione could hear the excitement in Sylvester's voice.

Smith chuckled again. "I like that idea, but let's have some fun with her first." She felt Smith stroke her cheek, and whimpered.

"Sectum Sempra!" She heard someone cry, she closed her eyes waiting for the pain, but it never came. Instead she heard the cry of either Smith or Sylvester.

"You little blood traitor! Crucio!" She heard the curse hit a tree, then felt Sylvester loose his balance at what she assumed was a disarming hex and fall backwards.

She scrambled away from him, but found herself too dizzy from loss of blood to get too far, she ended up collapsing against a tree but not before she saw a flash of blond hair in her vision. She passed out with a smile on her face.

Draco had just disarmed one of the men that he recognised as Edward Sylvester, a death eater that was even lower ranked then he, and Draco had never even been given his dark mark.

He saw Hermione crawl a few feet then looked directly at him before she passed out. He wanted to go to her, to make sure she was alright, but he was blown of his feet backwards by a hex sent from Sylvester, who had recovered from the one sent previously.

"Crucio!" Draco cried and was pleased to see that Sylvester hadn't been quick enough to dodge it; the death eater fell to the ground crying out in pain.

Draco looked beside him Blaise and the other man that Draco recognised a Barclay Smith, another low ranking Death Eater, were sending hexes at each other.

Blaise had just managed to stun the death eater, when Draco heard Sylvester cry "Avada Kedavra!"

Draco expected to see the green light heading straight towards him but, in what seemed like slow motion, the light hit Blaise in the chest and his lifeless body fell to the ground.

Draco was suddenly filled with red hot rage and had no control of his body as he heard himself cry out the killing curse.

Sylvester dodged it and cried out the counter curse for his stunned comrade; both men began firing curses at Draco, he successfully dodged all the green light and in a last hope he cried "Avada Kedavra!" and was surprised to see it hit Smith and his lifeless body fell to the ground.

Draco turned to the other Death eater who was now inching his way toward Hermione's still form while shooting hexes at Draco. Draco ran forward toward the man and sent a stunning spell which he dodged; Draco saw he was now gripping Hermione's arm.

"Leave her!" Draco roared, as he sent another hex in the death eaters' direction. Draco knew the he was planning to disapparate with Hermione and he knew he didn't have stand a chance in stopping him, but he sent another hex in the direction of Sylvester, just in time to see him and Hermione disappear. His hex hit the tree where Hermione had been; it erupted into flames.

Draco fell to his knees, his head in his hands. He'd lost Hermione, she would probably be killed. He turned to the lifeless form of his friend on the ground.

He stood and made his way towards Blaise's body; feeling the guilt ebb through his. Blaise was dead because of him; Hermione would be killed because of him.

Draco fell against his friends still chest. His best friend, the person he'd known since he was small, his only _real _friend was dead because of himself. And Hermione, the only person he ever really came to care about, other than Blaise-she had helped him change, but it seemed as though it had costed her, her life.

Draco picked up Blaise's body and made his way back to Hogwarts. Perhaps he would wake up tomorrow and this would all be a bad dream.

**A/N: **

**How depressing D: But it needs to be done, unfortunately. We'll see what happens next chapter. I'm not sure when it will be uploaded because I have two essays due next week and I'm about to pass out from stress D:. So I will probably not be working on this until I finish those. Wish me luck :S**

**Thanks again to all those who have read, subscribed, favourite and reviewed, it means a lot to think that people are actually reading or even liking this enough to do that. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you for the next one!**

**Cheers!**

**Leni**


	11. Hope in an Hourglass

Draco sat in the Headmistresses office in a daze. In the hour since he'd returned to school clutching the body of his best friend, numerous Order members and Aurors had been called to the school and Hogsmeade and were now searching for what they hoped would be Hermione well and alive. Draco had fought to let him go with them; but they said he had to stay, he was not trained for dealing with the situation, so here he sat in front of McGonagall, Potter and the two youngest Weasley's as they stared at him with confusion and wariness.

"I don't understand why Malfoy's here," Harry said, breaking the thick silence that had encased them for the past hour, "Hermione said she was going to Hogsmeade to do some errands for you, Professor."

McGonagall's face was lined with worry. When she'd learnt of the kidnapping of her favourite student she had restrained herself from becoming distraught. She needed to stay strong for the students in front of her, who were clearly also sick with worry at the fate of their best friend.

"I assure you, Mr Potter." McGonagall answered, "I did not ask such a task of Miss Granger. I was quite surprised to hear of her being off school grounds. Mr Malfoy here seems to be the only one who knows exactly how the events of today came about."

Once again the faces turned to him. Draco had not said a word since the three other students entered the room, and before that, all he'd managed to choke out to McGonagall was broken sentences involving the words death eaters, Blaise dead, Hermione gone, Hogsmeade. The professor had put the brief explanation together as much as she could and had immediately sent a patronus to the Order headquarters, the manor that Draco had given them, and they had contacted the ministry.

They had arrived in less than 10 minutes, apparating straight into Hogsmeade, some staying there to search for Hermione; others coming to the grounds of Hogwarts. Potter and the Weasley's were still quite clueless as to what was happening all they knew was that Hermione was missing and that death eaters were involved, as the two boys stayed strong for Ginny, who was sobbing lightly, Draco couldn't help but think that this was all because of him.

"Mr Malfoy?" Draco looked up, broken from his thoughts. His face was tired, his eyes empty, "Would you please explain exactly what happened? In detail, if you wouldn't mind."

Draco grimaced. He didn't want to think about it, he didn't want to tell them, knowing that they would all blame him. But for the sake of Blaise and Hermione, he spoke.

"Pansy," he began, the others had to lean in to hear his voice, it was hoarse, "Pansy tricked Hermione into going to Hogsmeade. She found out I was the informer...and other things." Draco hesitated, "She must have contacted my father and her father and some of the others, because they were waiting for Hermione there. They wanted to teach us a lesson. She thought it was me who asked her to meet there. Pansy stunned me and it wasn't until...Blaise came and found me that I could follow Hermione. I was too late though; we fought and Blaise was killed, and they took Hermione. They took her because of me."

McGonagall nodded, seeming to understand his story. The others however looked confused.

"Why would Hermione meet you in Hogsmeade, anyway?" Ron said, not bothering to keep the disgust out of his voice at the thought of Draco. The others nodded in agreement to Ron's question, eyeing Draco curiously.

Draco did not make to answer, and McGonagall, noticing his discomfort on the topic of Hermione, spoke up.

"I believe I can answer that, if Mr Malfoy does not mind broaching the subject," she said gently. Draco nodded, he was not sure he could talk about Hermione without getting so angry with himself that he'd smash something. It was better to let McGonagall speak.

"Very well," said McGonagall, acknowledging his confirmation, "I'm sure you all know by now, that Mr Malfoy was the informer that led to the arrests of several wanted Death Eaters," the others nodded slowly, "well, Potter you asked me on the day yourself, Draco and I had that meeting, why I trusted him."

"Yes, and I still don't understand why you did. He had something to do with Hermione going missing." Harry cried, too strung to keep his temper intact when talking to the Headmistress.

"Please calm down, Potter. Malfoy is involved with Hermione's disappearance but not in the way you think." This seemed to get everyone attention.

"Before I invited you to my office that day, Potter; Malfoy had shown me some very interesting things. It seems he was motivated to switch sides, but I saw in the pensieve that he had wanted to for a very long time, even while You-Know-Who was still in power. It seemed however that up until recently he hadn't been forced to make a choice; You-Know-Who was defeated and he seemed to get out before he was initiated. That is to say, he never got his Dark Mark."

The three teens stared at Draco with unbridled surprise. He assumed they all thought he'd gotten his Dark Mark long ago, but the truth was that his initiation task was to kill Dumbledore, and because he couldn't go through with the murder, he was not given the Dark Mark. That's not to say he wasn't punished for his failure; he had received the Cruciatis curse on and off for 20 long painful minutes. He shuddered at the memory.

"With all due respect, Professor," Ginny said, speaking up for the first time since she'd entered. Her voice was shaky and her nose was blocked from crying, "What has this got to do with Hermione's disappearance?"

"Everything, my dear," said McGonagall, "The day Mr Malfoy came to me, he told me he had been given a task by his father to help hide those Death Eaters who were still on the run; apparently they were low on funds and needed assistance if they were to continue the work of You-Know-Who," McGonagall didn't bother hiding her disgust, "thankfully Mr Malfoy here had seen the error of his ways long ago and did not want to help them. It seems he also found something more important to fight for then just his own safety and survival."

"And what was that Professor?" Harry prompted impatiently, looking between the both McGonagall and Draco. He was becoming restless, as they all were, as the time slipped past with no news on Hermione's safety.

"Not what, Potter, _who. _It seems Draco here became quite fond of Miss Granger, to the point of risking his own safety just to ensure hers. Unfortunately, it hasn't seemed to work as he had hoped."

She gave a sympathetic look in Draco's direction, he didn't see it though, as he was staring at his shoes, lost in his own thoughts.

"So what you're saying," Ron began slowly, "Is that Malfoy became obsessed with Hermione, and when the Death eaters found out, they took her?" Ron finished his sentence standing, fuming at Draco.

"Sit down, Weasley!" Scolded McGonagall, Draco however hadn't even noticed the anger that was directed towards him.

"You are close, but not quite." McGonagall began, "Mr Malfoy's feelings were very much reciprocated by Miss Granger."

"WHAT?" The two boys shouted at once standing to full height, shocked expressions on their faces, Ron's cry overpowering Harry's. Ginny seemed to be not so shocked; though her face did show some surprise, she did not seem to find the idea of Draco and Hermione so impossible.

"It can't be true!" Cried Ron, looking as red as his hair, "She'd never love a git like him. It's impossible!"

"Why, Ron?" Ginny said, eyeing her brother with an annoyed expression, "You're a git and she went for you."

Draco, who had been pulled out of his thought by the outburst from the two boys, smirked slightly. Was it so impossible to think Hermione would ever love him? Did she even love him? If she did, she might never get a chance to tell him now. His shoulders sagged considerably.

"I just can't believe it," said Harry disbelievingly.

"Well believe it Potter, Weasley," she said, sounding rather tired, "Because I saw evidence with my own eyes in the pensieve. Now shall we continue?" The boys nodded slowly, still looking shocked and angry.

"Very well," said McGonagall, "It seems that this relationship was discovered and it was only made more serious due to the fact that it was Draco's motivation to switch sides officially. Obviously, not many would be happy about that. I'm assuming it's because of this that we are in this situation."

"So it's still his fault that she's missing!" Cried Ron, "You slimy little ferret!"

Ron lunged at Draco, who had been so engrossed in his own inner turmoil he hadn't been expecting it. The two began wrestling and throwing punches hoping to hit the other. Draco was purely trying to defend himself, though he knew he deserved what he was getting and after a few seconds he stopped throwing punches and simply took them. McGonagall, Ginny and Harry were yelling and attempting to break the two up. Ron, however, didn't seem to be relinquishing. Draco had a feeling it was because Ron has also realised the reason he and Hermione had never made up was because of her relationship with Draco. It seemed that all Ron's anger over the past few weeks was coming out in the form of multiple punches to any part of Draco he could make contact with.

"ENOUGH!" Shouted McGonagall, ferociously. Ron went still and Harry managed to pull him off Draco. Draco sat up rubbing his face; he felt the warmth of blood dripping from his lip. _Nothing I don't deserve._

"Mr Weasley, I would expect such behaviour from a mountain troll, but a 7th year student? I'm appalled!" McGonagall's voice was stern and had Ron looking to his feet in shame, despite the fact that his face still expressed his anger.

"Now sit down, all of you!" They went and silently sat in the seats they had previously been in, all looking rather ashamed despite the fact that it had only been Draco and Ron involved in the tussle.

"Now, Mr Malfoy, I suggest you make your way to the Hospital wing and let Madame Pomfrey do-," She was interrupted, however, by the door swinging open, and a very anxious looking Remus Lupin racing through. He stopped short as he noticed the faces of the four students which had turned to him.

McGonagall stood at once, sensing Lupin's distress. "Have you found her, Remus?"

Remus hesitated for a moment, eyeing the faces of the students carefully, he nodded, "We need you to come, Minerva."

McGonagall and the four students shot up and moved towards the door, before McGonagall turned and held up and hand, "You are to stay in the castle. Go get Madame Pomfrey, tell her it's urgent."

"Uh, Minerva," said Lupin, hesitantly, "I don't think there is much Poppy can do."

Minerva turned to him, "What are you saying, Remus?"

The four students behind were tense. Ron was still red, but now his face looked more fearful. Harry was holding Ginny close while listening intently, Ginny seemed to be waiting for the worst. Draco, however, could feel the blood rushing in his ears and his heart racing out of his chest. She had to be ok, she just _had _to be.

Remus looked carefully at the students behind McGonagall, then back to her, "We were too late. She's...she's dead."

Draco felt the air escape his lungs and his stomach retract, as though he'd been punched. His ears seemed to block out all noise, but he could faintly hear the cry of distress from Ginny as she fell to the floor. Harry followed her, both sobbing into the others shoulder. Ron seemed to be frozen in shock; he was still staring at Lupin, who was now talking in whispers to a distressed looking McGonagall.

Draco felt like the world had been removed from the bottom of his feet. Was it possible to survive such pain? Such loss? He couldn't care right now, all he felt was the enormous hole in his chest which felt like it might physically kill him.

It was amazing how in the second he found out she was gone, his whole world had shifted. But the real world, it hadn't changed at all. But something _had_ to have changed. Such an enormous loss for him had to have affected the world somehow. How could he really know she was gone otherwise?

Draco found himself racing out the door of the office, barely registering the protests from both Lupin and McGonagall as he ran down the stairs and past the gargoyle. He ran down the staircase, students had gathered around, obviously they knew something was wrong. They stared and whispered as he ran past.

The entrance hall was packed with students, some crying and being comforted; others chatting animatedly trying to get a peek out the doors which were being blocked by Filch. Did they know about Hermione?

He didn't bother pausing as he ran through the crowd, Filch protested but he bowled the man over and it seemed the action caused a riot, as students ran out after him, trampling Filch, wanting to see what was happening.

That's when he saw it. All around him students gasped, some cried out. The Dark mark was visible in the sky above the forbidden forest. The skull glowing against the overcast sky, the snake weaving it's body around and through the skulls mouth. Around the edges of the forest entrances were dozens of wizards; some in Auror robes, others in normal clothes. They were talking in groups, some wandering in, some out, of the trees.

Draco found himself walking toward the place where the wizards were grouped. _She's in there._ He found himself in front of the trees, and began to walk through, that is until a large hand grabbed his shoulder. He turned to face a rather burly Auror, who had scars all over his face.

"You're not authorised to go in there," he said, his voice was gruff, not unlike a growl.

Draco thought of simply running in, but when he saw a group of Aurors behind the man looking at him like they would enjoy the chase, he thought better of it. He just needed to see her, to make sure this wasn't some horrible dream.

He found himself wandering back to the castle, amidst a crowd of fearful students.

"Is he back?" He heard one girl ask her friend through a sob, "Is You-Know-Who back?"

"I thought Potter killed him!" Another exclaimed.

Draco knew he wasn't back, but he couldn't help but remember the earlier words of the Death Eaters. Had they killed her just to prove a point? One last death for the Dark Lord? Was this considered the ultimate send-off? Draco felt his stomach churn. Hermione was more than just one last conquest. She was something more important than the Dark Lord would ever be. She was _good_.

What had they done to her? Had they made it quick and painless? Had they tortured her? Had they raped her? Let her die slowly? Draco stomach churned again, and he lost the contents of his breakfast on the ground in front of him.

Not caring about the comments around him he made his way back into the castle doors, wandering aimlessly, not sure where to go now that she wasn't here.

He found himself stopping in front of the head dorms only twenty minutes later. It was the closest thing to Hermione that he had left. He gave the password to the forest nymph and entered. The common room was empty; he assumed Ernie was down there with the rest of the student body, trying to calm them down. Would they have noticed the absence of their head girl yet?

Draco wandered towards Hermione's bedroom door. The wards were up; he knew they automatically went up when she left. He raised his wand and began saying the very same enchantments he had the first time he'd broken into her room; he couldn't help but dwell on the fact that it was under much better circumstances before. Hermione wouldn't catch him this time; they wouldn't lie in bed together, just basking in the others presence.

He swung open the door and took in the room. It was the same as they had left it this morning, only now it wasn't so bright and inviting, he felt lonely just looking at it.

He walked in and sat on the bed, looking around at the photos on her shelf. It was strange to see her moving and smiling in the photographs knowing she wasn't now. He expected her to walk in right now to yell at him for being in his room. He wished she would.

He laid his body on her bed. Her side of the bed still had the telltale indents of her body from where she'd slept this morning. Draco could smell her scent from here and it only made his chest hurt more. All his emotions from today came back to him. He'd lost Blaise, then Hermione. He found his body wracked with silent sobs as the extent of everything really his him.

His tears dried up and he found himself feeling no better than he had before. He'd never let himself cry over loss before, he'd been taught not to. He hadn't even cried over his father's incarceration, but he allowed himself to cry for this. Maybe his tears would be like payment; maybe Hermione and Blaise would know how much he was hurting and forgive him for what had happened to them.

Draco stood looking around the room; he shoved his hands in his pockets, and was surprised to find something in one of them. He pulled out Hermione's frilly knickers, and couldn't help but smile at the memories they caused him to remember. He looked around; perhaps there was something else he could take to remember her by?

He looked along the shelves; he couldn't take a photograph, her friends would want those. He looked towards her bed side table; he'd only ever looked in there once.

He sat on the bed near the table and opened the draw, he saw Hermione's diary and pulled it out. He'd never got a chance to read it before; she'd interrupted him half way. Would it be wrong to read it now? At this point, Draco knew he couldn't sink any lower. He began waving his wand over the book, muttering enchantments.

Ten minutes later, after having great difficulty, Draco had managed to break all the wards on Hermione's diary. He opened to the first page not knowing when she'd begun to write in it. It seemed however, that Hermione had been given this diary in her first year, for the message on the front read:

_**To our beautiful Hermione,**_

_**We are so proud of you. This diary is to record all of the adventures and the new and exciting things you experience at Hogwarts. We hope it's everything you hoped and more.**_

_**Love, Mum & Dad**_

The book was only about an inch thick, but it seemed to have been charmed to fit all the entries from Hermione's first year up until, he assumed, her final year.

Draco read about her experience with a troll in her first year, and how her, Harry and Ron had become best friends. In her second year he read about what it was like when she saw the eyes of the basilisk in her mirror, right before she was petrified. He frowned when he saw her entry after he'd called her a 'mudblood'. He could see how the writing had been smudged with tears.

In her third year she spoke a lot about a time turner, and how she'd used it to get to all her classes. She'd even put in a diagram of it, and a little explanation about how she'd used it; Draco smiled. Even though it was a _book_ belonging to _her,_ she still had to explain how things were done, as though someone were going to learn from it. He also found himself smiling at her admittance that the only reason she'd punched him in the face was because she was so frustrated at herself for having a crush on him. He read about her experience in the Shrieking Shack, how the entrance was under the Womping Willow, and it lead straight to it. If only he'd know that earlier...

As he skimmed through, he noticed that beside a lot of talk about her adventures with Harry and Ron, a lot of entries were about him. In her fourth year, she'd written about his reaction at the Yule Ball when she'd walked in with Krum. Apparently it had brightened her whole night to know that he couldn't even think of an insult. He couldn't help the watery smile that adorned his face.

In her fifth year, she wrote about her experience in the Department of Mysteries; how she worried for Harry. She also wrote about a group called Dumbledore's Army. Draco remembered catching them when they were in the Room of Requirement. He was such a prat back then...

Her six year was rather patchy, she wrote about how she didn't agree with Harry that Draco had become a Death Eater. He felt grateful for that, even then she'd believed he was better, despite the fact that at the time becoming a Death Eater was his intention. Draco found his eyes stinging, so he skipped to the final entry. It was dated two days ago; one particular paragraph caught his eye.

_...I think I love him. I feel pathetic saying it, but...I do. It isn't a new feeling; I've always sort of looked at him differently since third year. I never stood a chance with him then, but he's different now. He doesn't seem to hate me anymore...But I keep having these dreams that we're in the Forbidden Forest, just standing there, holding each other, then these arms come out of nowhere and rip me away from him. I turn around and I see Harry and Ron looking at me with hatred. Like I've betrayed them. When I look back Draco's gone, and so are Harry and Ron. Then it's just me standing there alone in the darkness... I don't know what I'm thinking. __**We could never be**__. No matter how much I try, there will always be something stopping us..._

Draco closed the book and put it down. It glowed as the wards were automatically replaced. He couldn't help but feel like he'd wasted something important. She'd loved him, and he could have told her he felt the same, he could have taken her away and made sure they were safe instead of leaving her to feel like he didn't want that. It was like she knew what fate was coming for them. For her.

Draco took a deep breath. He needed to get out of there, this room was suffocating him, but he knew that her things would be gone soon. They would be packed way and sent to her family, and it would be like she was never here. He didn't want to leave without something to remember her by. He rifled through the draw until he found an old velvet pouch. It was covered in dust, and seemed to have been forgotten at the back of the draw.

Draco undid the tie and turned the pouch over so the contents inside slipped out. A small necklace fell into the palm of his hand. He recognised it immediately. The chain was long and gold; on the end sat a small hourglass encased in a circle. The circle had a small switch sticking out of it. Draco couldn't believe his eyes, it was Hermione's time turner; he recognised it from the illustration in her journal. Why did she still have it? He knew this was one of the last, if not the only, time turner in public use. Since they were all smashed two years ago, the Ministry had confiscated all the time turners that were in the public. Maybe that's why Hermione still had it? Perhaps she was hiding it so they didn't take it? With all that had happened with Voldemort she must have forgotten about it. Draco didn't care about that now anyway; he had bigger things on his mind.

Could he use this time turner to go back and save Hermione and Blaise? Would he even be able to succeed? He knew right now he had nothing to lose. Hermione had left instructions for its use. _One turn for each hour you want to go back._

Hermione had also said that it was dangerous to meddle with time, but what worse things could possibly happen? He didn't care what happened to him as long as he had her back. He sat down and began figuring out how many turns he'd need. It had been an hour since they'd found Hermione's body in the Forbidden Forest, and hour before that he'd brought Blaise's body back, he still needed time to find Pansy before he left and somehow stop Blaise from being killed. He decided that four hours were enough. Putting the chain on his neck, he grasped the hourglass; he held his breath as he gave it four turns.

**A/N: I cant help but feel like a terrible person for putting everyone through such emotional turmoil, as I could tell from the reviews I got concerning Blaise...but I enjoy it :/ perhaps that makes me a psychopath? Who knows!**

**Anyway, I just want to note that in this fic Remus Lupin survived the war. I just wanted to add him in because he is my favourite character...besides Draco of course ;)**

**Anyway, I wanted to get this up now because I literally just spent the last two hours skiving off my school work just to write this, and now I've got a head ache (a head like mine looks like it would hurt :S ) haha. Hope you enjoy. **

**Cheers!**

**Leni**


	12. Turning Back Time

Draco wasn't sure he was actually moving through time or whether the time turner had actually worked, that is until two seconds later when he watched his past-self walking at a speedy pace around the room like he'd just done moments before, until he exited through the door and the room became empty again. The only awareness he had of moving through time now was the view out of Hermione's bedroom window, he could see clusters of student moving in blurs, the trees swaying at unnatural speed, until eventually they slowed back down to their normal speed and Draco knew he was four hours in the past.

He looked around Hermione's room. Nothing was different, where were their past selves though? He was answered by the sound of muffled voices coming from outside the door of Hermione's bedroom. He practically vaulted under the bed, but noticed that the voices were not getting any closer. He still scolded himself for being so reckless; the last thing he wanted was to run into his past self, that would be one way to ensure he ended up in St Mungo's.

He heard the voices become more distant and the portrait hole close. If his timing was correct that would be him and Hermione leaving, which meant Ernie would still be in the common room. He cast a disillusionment charm on himself and looked in the mirror as his body became a human chameleon. He knew he wouldn't be completely invisible, but if he kept close to the walls and corners he could ensure he wasn't seen.

He walked towards Hermione's door, and opened it as quietly as possible. He slipped out, but stayed close to the wall. Ernie was grumbling under his breath; Draco thought he heard the words 'Malfoy' and 'prat' involved. He smirked. Ernie was clearly grumbling about the blackmail his past self had threatened him with.

Draco slid as smoothly as possible along the wall towards the portrait hole. Ernie was currently tying his shoelaces, when he suddenly looked up, Draco froze. Ernie looked over the wall for a moment with narrowed eyes, before he shook his head and continued getting ready. Draco breathed out a sigh of relief and moved toward the portrait hole. He opened it as quietly as possible and slipped out, ensuring he cushioned it as it swung shut again.

He was now out in the corridor. It was dark, except for a few torches on the wall, and it was completely empty, since the only people who ever really travelled past were the Head Girl and Boy.

Draco moved down the corridor, towards the direction of the staircase. There were only a couple of students making their way down the stairs; the usual early risers, Draco supposed. He knew his past-self was currently getting ready in his dorm and would soon be at breakfast. Draco thought it best to wait in the Slytherin Common room until his past-self returned.

As he got to the dungeon, he waited patiently for someone to come out of the portrait hole. Twenty long minutes later, the portrait hole opened and he pressed himself against the wall as he watched himself step out and walk up the corridor toward the Great Hall. Draco caught the portrait before it swung shut again and slipped inside to find it relatively empty. He decided to sit in a deserted chair in a shadowy corner and wait until something happened.

He wondered whether he might be able to stop Hermione from leaving, but he wasn't sure when she actually left. He'd been so angry at Pansy that morning, he'd stopped focusing on Hermione and let the rage distract him. He was also worried about revealing himself to her, knowing his past self could show up at any time. He had to make sure he was invisible the whole time.

Sometime later, Draco saw Pansy enter the portrait hole looking rather angry; she sat in front of the crackling fire. Draco wanted to hex her, but he held back. She had probably seen him in the great hall, though he hadn't seen her, and she would find it more than odd that he was in two places at once. Another problem was, if he ruined her plans now, he would never know about them in the first place. Time travel was a confusing thing, he decided.

He heard saw Blaise emerge from his dorm, say a quick 'Hello' to Pansy, and then step out the portrait hole. He knew his past-self would be back soon, and he was correct.

What seemed like only ten minutes later, his past-self barged through the portrait hole and stood straight in front of Pansy. He watched them argue, and Pansy spilt her plan, looking all too pleased. He watched himself go to leave as Pansy sent a stunning spell at his back, causing past-Draco to fall to the ground, stiff. He watched as Pansy levitated him into his room and ten minutes later, came out carrying her bag, she turned toward the door.

Draco raised his wand from the shadows and sent a stunning spell at her back. She became as stiff as a board, and Draco didn't bother hiding his smirk as she fell forward and crashed into his bedroom door. He levitated her body into her dorm, letting her drop to the ground. He then warded the door ensuring that if she was to try and get out, it would take her a while. His wards were definitely too advanced for her.

He opened the door to his room and saw himself lying on his bed, stiff. He sent the reversal spell from around the corner and saw himself shoot up as fast as possible, before looking around at the empty room confused. His past-self didn't seem to be too worried about who had reversed the spell, however, because in seconds he'd raced out the door and out the portrait hole.

Draco decided to leave a note for Blaise in case he came looking for him. He penned a quick note on a scrap piece of parchment he found lying on the coffee table and stuck it in his room, before warding the doors. If Blaise did come looking, Draco wanted to ensure he stalled him enough so he couldn't follow him to Hogsmeade. At least then he knew Blaise would not be killed.

With that, Draco ran out the portrait hole, up the stairs, and out the castle doors towards the Womping Willow. He remembered Hermione saying something about a knot in the tree, pressing it opened up a passage to the Shrieking Shack. As Draco approached the tree, which was reasonably calm at the moment, he spotted the knot. Did you just walk over and press it? He moved closer, and only just managed to dodge a branch that came swinging at him. He looked around there were no deserted sticks on the ground. Could he hit it with a spell? It was worth a try.

He aimed his wand toward the knot, and shouted "Stupefy!" The light hit the tree directly and it immediately froze. Draco saw an opening at the roots and crawled down it. The tunnel was dark and smelt like a swamp. He lit his wand, and began traipsing through, crouching down to avoid hitting his head.

In less than five minutes Draco could make out the opening up ahead. He climbed through and found himself in a rickety old building. The Shrieking Shack.

The squeaky floor was covered in a thick layer of dust, and what light that shone in through the windows only illuminated the dust particles floating in the air. The walls had random holes in them, and giant claw marks down the walls. He also faintly saw traces of human blood that looked to have been there for a sometime.

Draco walked toward the door he assumed to be the exit. He swung it open and stepped out. From his view point he could see a rocky path leading toward a barbed wire fence about two hundred metres away. He knew that was where Hermione was headed.

He began to run up the path as fast as he could. His shoes were still covered in slimy mud from the tunnel under the Womping Willow and occasionally he slipped on a rock because of it. There was no time to stop though, Hermione would be close.

He was just about to make it up the last steep slope towards the fence when he heard a yelp of pain. He froze. He heard another one. It was definitely Hermione. He frantically began closing the distance between himself and the fence. He stood behind the fence, still disillusioned, just in time to see a bulky Death Eater Sylvester flying straight toward him.

The force of the hit knocked Draco off his feet, and sent him sliding a few metres down the slope he'd just frantically climbed. He had to give it to Hermione; she was definitely good with a wand.

He managed to get to his feet and struggle back up the slope just in time to see the Death Eater run after Hermione who was racing down the road towards Hogsmeade Village. He knew she wouldn't make it though. He began to race after the two and as Sylvester raised his wand towards Hermione, Draco sent a silent 'Reducto!' toward the man, causing him to fly forward several metres and land in an unconscious bundle on the ground.

Hermione turned to see the Death eater land at her feet in shock. She looked around frantically for the person who had caused it. Draco wanted to physically push her toward Hogsmeade, but knew he couldn't. She seemed to come to her senses, however, and began running towards the small village that could clearly be seen in the distance.

She froze suddenly, when another Death Eater stepped out from behind a dead tree and began shooting spells. Draco raised his wand to fire, but was surprised when a spell passed his head from behind and hit the Death Eater in the chest causing him to fall over stunned. Draco spun around to see his past-self striding toward Hermione, who had fallen to the ground, bleeding from a slicing hex.

He watched as he knelt down next to her, and began attempting to stop the bleeding, he saw Hermione give a small smile.

"I can do it," she said softly, "Healer in training remember?" Draco looked up, and smirked.

"Guess I forgot," he stepped back slightly and allowed her to say the charms that healed the wound on her leg. He helped her stand, as she gingerly tested whether she could walk.

Draco was so absorbed in watching the interaction between Hermione and himself, longing to go and hold her himself, that he didn't notice the raven haired girl approaching from behind a tree on the opposite side of the path. That is, until she sent a hex causing Draco's past-self to fly forwards several metres, taking Hermione with him. The crash they made as they hit the tree was carried by the wind. Draco winced as he felt the pain all over his body, from the injuries his past-self had just sustained.

As quick as lightning the girl had revived the two death eaters, just as Draco sent a disarming spell her direction causing her wand to fly out of her hand, and sending her flying sideways. Pansy looked around at the two Death eaters, "What the hell are you doing?" She screeched, "I already knocked them out, stop sending spells flying everywhere!"

The two Death Eaters looked ready to argue, but she silenced them with a glare.

"Are you idiots or something?" She hissed, "I practically handed them to you, and you can't even do the rest!" She threw her hands up in frustration.

"Calm down Parkinson," said Smith, glaring at her, "Not even Voldemort himself could handle Potter or his little buddies."

"I don't give a crap about Voldemort; I want them to pay for what they did to my family! My father! That blood traitor sold him out, all because he wanted that frizzy-haired Gryffindor bitch to like him." Pansy hissed, "I don't care what you do with her, do whatever you were told, but I want to finish him." She glanced toward the Draco who was unconscious by the tree.

Sylvester snorted, "You honestly think you can get rid of him on your own?" He said, amused, "A little thing like you?"

The two Death eaters shared an amused look. Pansy sneered.

"If you haven't noticed, that little Gryffindor bitch almost got rid of you." She said smugly, "You'd both be done for if I hadn't turned up."

Both Death Eaters looked as though their ego's were shattered. Draco, however, wished they would hurry up and say their plans. He couldn't risk hexing any of them for fear they would see where the spells were coming from. The last thing he needed was these three seeing him, when he was clearly over by a tree unconscious. Not to mention what they might do if they got their hands on the time turner...

"Look, I don't care," Pansy said impatiently, "Just go get him! You can take her and do whatever you like."

The Death eaters shrugged, and Smith went to retrieve Draco's unconscious form from the under the tree, and dragged it to where Pansy was standing. Hermione was still lying there, face down.

"Well aren't you going?" She asked impatiently.

"Think we'll stay and watch this for a bit," they said amused, Pansy sneered again.

"Rennervate," muttered Pansy, pointing her wand at the past-Draco.

Draco watched as he awoke slowly, squinting in the light, before looking around and realising where he was. He suddenly got to his feet alternating between pointing his wand at the Death Eaters, who laughed, and Pansy, who didn't seem to be in the mood for their high spirits right now.

"Don't look at us," said Sylvester, "It's her you'll be dealing with. We've got the pleasure of deciding what we do to your little mudblood girlfriend though." The Death eater leered at past-Draco, whose eyes instantly went to Hermione's form under the tree.

"Don't you touch her," Draco threatened.

"We'll do more than touch her," Smith said, and they both laughed as Draco attempted to run at them, before Pansy restrained him with ropes that flew out of her wand. Draco turned to her and sneered.

"Look at you," he said, hissing, "not so pathetic with your wand now are you? And here I thought you were just a dumb bitch, who used sex to get what she wanted."

Pansy didn't look offended at all, "Not as simple as I look, am I Draco? Who would've thought you'd be into the bookish type, maybe I'd have let a bit more of my talent show. But it did me good to hide it now, didn't it? You weren't threatened by me, bet you regret that now, don't you?"

Draco sneered, "I regret everything to do with you, Pansy. You were my biggest mistake." He looked her up and down, disgusted.

Pansy ignored him, "You honestly think getting Blaise, or whoever it was to stun me and lock me in my room would give you time to save her?" She asked amused, past-Draco looked confused but didn't speak, "Millicent came and found me when I didn't turn up for our first lesson. She had to get someone else to take the wards down of course, but there was still enough time to catch you, and look at you now. Pathetic."

Past-Draco snorted, "I'm not nearly as pathetic as you, Pansy. You're doing all this because you can't handle that things didn't go as you like. Grow up, little girl," he hissed, "Life isn't fair. Your father got what he deserved."

From where Draco stood, watching his past-self and Pansy interact, he could see the anger on her face. He braced himself when she raised her wand and hissed, "Crucio."

Draco fell to the ground, at the same time his past-self did. The feeling was horrible. His skin was on fire, his muscles aching. He felt like a thousand red-hot knives were stabbing through him. His bones felt like they were breaking everywhere. He could hear his past-self groaning in pain and used all his energy to prevent any noise from escaping his lips. Draco had been under the Cruciatis curse many times, but it was never something that someone could get used too. He was relieved when Pansy broke the spell, but he knew his body would still ache for days.

He cast a quick 'Silencio' on himself, in case Pansy wasn't done cursing his past-self, who he could see was also feeling the aftermath of the curse. In the safety of his silence, Draco let out a ragged breath, and turned his focus back on the scene in front of him.

Pansy, it seemed, was only getting started. She sent a couple of slicing hexes his way, leaving gashes down the side of both past and future Draco's face and chest. She alternated between this and the Cruciatis curse, leaving both Draco's exhausted and in physical pain.

Draco knew that his past-self's wand was still under the tree near Hermione, so he was defenceless. He knew how to cast silent spells, but he'd never quite caught the jist of wandless magic, especially casting spells strong enough to get himself out of this bind. Draco knew he would have to intervene to stop his past-self from being tortured if he had a hope in getting out of this alive.

Draco stood and moved around the trees behind the two Death Eaters, next to Hermione. He kneeled down to check she was still breathing, and let out a breath of relief when he felt a pulse. He moved back over to the tree behind the Death Eaters, just in time to feel another slicing hex across his leg. He hissed in pain, knowing he couldn't be heard anyway.

He raised his wand, just as Pansy raised hers to cast another Cruciatis curse on his past-self, and sent a silent 'Reducto!" toward the raven haired witch, sending her flying several metres backwards, hitting the ground hard. She groaned in pain, before glaring at the Death Eaters across from her, who were looking between each other and the girl in front of them who was practically bursting with rage.

"Are you FUCKING IDIOTS?" She screeched, loudly, "What did I tell you about aiming your fucking spells at the right person?"

Both the Death Eaters shared another glance. "Well that wasn't me," Sylvester said, holding his hands up defensively, "It was probably him." He pointed to Smith.

"Oi!" The other man protested loudly, "Don't try to blame me for your shoddy skills; I've seen you use a wand, you've got aim like a drunk troll!"

The two men began arguing between themselves, and despite the situation, Draco couldn't help but snort in amusement. Pansy didn't seem quite as amused, and she was glaring at the two men. She raised her wand and sent a slicing hex that cut them both along the chest in one swift slice. Both men yelped in pain and raised their wands towards the girl.

"Don't even think about it," she said threateningly, "in the time it takes to hex me, I could send the killing curse to either one of you. Do you really want the 50/50 chance of being killed?"

Both men looked between each other and lowered their wands, hesitantly. Pansy looked smug, knowing she'd just scared two fully grown men, and turned back to the Draco who was lying on the ground in front of her, bleeding.

Future-Draco removed the silencing charm briefly and used the opportunity to point his wand from behind the tree toward Sylvester, and whisper, "Imperio."

The Death Eater suddenly stiffened, Draco noticed. He thought, 'Hex Pansy with 'Reducto',' and was pleased when Sylvester raised his wand and said the spell. Pansy didn't have time to react before she was thrown backwards even further then the last time, straight into a tree. She slumped, unconscious on the ground.

"What the bloody hell are you doing?" Smith bellowed, turning to Sylvester. Sylvester, who was no longer under the control of the Imperious curse looked at the other Death Eater, confused. They began to argue between themselves, once again, and Draco couldn't help but realise why they'd never really made it into Voldemort's inner circle.

As the two men were still arguing, Draco could see people in the distance; they seemed to be coming from Hogsmeade. As they got closer, Draco recognised their Auror robes. He breathed out a silent sigh of relief; Blaise had seen his letter, in which he'd briefly explained the situation and told him to contact the Order. He noted to himself that the next time he saw Blaise Zabini, he was probably going to kiss him out of pure and utter happiness. The thought had Draco cringing with disgust; he might just buy him a Fire whiskey instead. He was, nonetheless, thankful that Blaise had survived. Now he just had to make sure Hermione did too.

This thought had him moving toward the girl. There was a shout of, "Put your wands down!" from an Auror, several metres away, and both Death Eaters stopped their arguing and looked towards them. They ran toward Hermione, completely forgetting about past-Draco, who was still on the ground.

Draco wasn't sure why his past-self was still so injured, when he was only feeling slightly weak and sore, but mostly steady on his feet. He assumed it was because, as he was from the future, his wounds had time to heal from where he'd sustained those just moments before. It was a confusing concept that he quickly dismissed before he added 'headache' to his list of problems.

Sylvester was hit with a stunning curse as he ran, falling stiff to the ground. Smith however made it to Hermione and picked up the girls limp body, using it to shield himself. Draco was still holding onto Hermione, not willing to let her go. He watched as Aurors swarmed over to his past-self on the ground and Pansy by the tree. A group was holding their wands up towards Smith, "Put the girl down," one Auror said, stepping hesitantly toward the Death Eater.

Smith simply chuckled; probably realising he'd be done for if he lost his human shield. In a split second, Draco felt Smith turn and saw the Aurors rush towards him, but with a crack, he disapparated with Hermione, and unbeknownst to himself, Draco.

Draco felt the tug at his stomach, as he felt his body squeezed and pulled this way and that. He knew he didn't have an excellent grip, and was thankful when they landed on hard ground, and he was no longer at risk of getting splinched.

Draco looked around and recognised the Forbidden Forest, though they were on the outskirts of the entrance, Hogwarts was all the way over the other side. They would have to walk all the way through before they exited on Hogwarts grounds. Draco groaned inwardly, thinking of the distance it would be to get back to the castle.

He turned his attention back to the Death Eater, he seemed to get sick of carrying Hermione, and began levitating her behind him as he walked through the entrance of trees. It was a long journey, and Draco was thankful that he still had a while to go before he had to get back the castle and meet back with his past-self.

After close to an hour of swift walking, Smith stopped and looked around. Draco wasn't sure what he was looking for, none of this forest was recognisable, and they could have been walking in circles for all he knew. However, the Death Eater seemed to sense that they were close enough to the castle, but not close enough to be spotted by any Aurors who would, no doubt, be patrolling.

The Death Eater let Hermione fall to the ground and Draco knew it was time to act. As the Death Eater raised his wand and began to say, "Avada-", Draco had cut him off with, "Petrificus Totalus!" and breathed a sigh of relief when the Death Eater dropped to the ground, stunned.

Draco thought about killing Smith, in fact, he raised his wand a few times to do just that. But he decided, after a while, that death was an easy way out; he wanted this monster to rot in Azkaban like his and Pansy's father. And possibly even Pansy herself.

Draco turned back to Hermione, she still wasn't awake, but he knew she was alive. He needed to get her some help though, and he couldn't very well go walking in with her, when he was probably already in the castle hospital wing right now. He thought for a moment. He knew one way that would get attention, get Hermione help and allow him to slip away unnoticed.

Many times he'd been there when the Death eaters had killed. He'd never participated, but they'd made him watch, as though it might actually tempt him to join them. Many times he'd watched as the Dark Mark was cast over the houses of witches and wizards. He saw the reaction it got; he remembered earlier that day. He knew, however, that instilling fear in people for a short time was worth it if it meant saving Hermione.

He gave her one last glance, before he raised his wand to the sky and shouted, "Morsmordre!"

Instantly, in the stormy sky was a glowing skull, with a snake weaving in and out of its mouth. It could be quite mesmerising, if it wasn't associated with such sadness and pain.

Immediately, Draco heard shouts. They were obviously close enough to Hogwarts for them to see it immediately. He waited patiently by Hermione; he didn't want to leave her until he was sure they'd found her. He could hear the shouts getting closer, and he knew they were nearby.

Not five minutes later did Draco see the first Auror racing through the trees followed by several others, including Orders members, like Remus Lupin. Draco knew he didn't have much time and began to run toward the castle, just in time to hear and Auror shout, "She's over here!"

As Draco ran he saw several more Aurors and Order members running past him toward Hermione. He inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. Now he just needed to get back. As he exited the clearing, Hogwarts was similar to how he'd seen it earlier. There were Aurors everywhere, he looked back briefly and saw the Dark Mark still floating in the sky. This time, however, it didn't hurt him as much to look at it. _She's okay._

He ran in the castle doors, as students were gathered around trying to get a look. He ran past hearing the whispers.

"I heard they brought Draco Malfoy into the hospital wing..."

"...attacked by Death Eaters...

He ran past them, and up the staircase, waiting impatiently for it to shift. He eventually made it outside the doors to the Hospital Wing; he pushed them open.

Inside he saw himself lying on a bed at the far end. He walked towards himself, just in time to see him disappear. Draco removed the disillusionment charm from himself and slipped into the bed. He wanted to wait up and see Hermione when they brought her in, his plan however wasn't to be.

Madam Pomfrey stepped out of her office. "What on are you doing awake? And what happened to your bandages?" She scolded. He listened to her rant about ungrateful students, as she healed his wounds and bandaged them back up for good measure.

"Now, here," she said, handing him a vial of purple potion, "If you won't sleep on your own I'll have to force you too."

"But, I can't sleep, I have to make sure-," The woman cut him off with a raised hand and a stern look.

"Do not try to argue with me, child. You will not win. Now drink up."

Draco opened his mouth to protest again, but thought against it as she gave him another stern look. He downed the Dreamless Sleep potion, sulkily, and lay his head down on the pillow. The woman gave him a smug smile and walked back into her office.

Draco fought the feeling of heavy eyes and a light head, as he waited for the doors to the hospital wing to open. Just as they swung open, and a group of Aurors raced in, carrying someone, Draco lost his fight against his unconsciousness and begrudgingly slipped into a deep sleep.

**A/N: So there you go. I have to admit, I sort of dont like this chapter much. It was a pain in the behind to write too. It was extremely confusing, with the timing of things and the fact that I was referring to TWO different Draco's. I hope it's easy to understand, otherwise my efforts will be for nothing :S**

**I had this chapter planned completely differently, but it just sort of ran away on me. I wonder if I'm the only one that cant keep control of their own story? LOL**

**I think there might be only one more chapter after this, just to wrap it up. I hope I didnt make too many people mad for killing off both Blaise and Hermione...I just like drama, and I got them back anyway. Just wanted to scare you :3**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this. Thanks again to everyone who reviewed, favourited, subscribed, or even read this, even if it was to decide it was too crappy to bother with! Until next time...**

**Cheers, Leni**


	13. Goodbye to the Past, Hello to the Future

Draco awoke to a cool hand on his cheek. He opened his tired eyes, hoping to see Hermione, but instead was surprised when he saw his mother. He rubbed his eyes and sat up, looking over to the other end of the hospital wing where the curtain was pulled around a bed.

"She's fine," his mother spoke in her cool, soft voice, having followed his gaze. Draco quickly looked back to her. She gave him a small smile.

"There's no point in trying to hide it, Draco. I know." Draco was surprised by the calmness in her voice, he'd assumed she would be mad.

Draco let out a sigh, "If you know everything, then why are you here? I thought you would have disowned me by now. I'm sure father has."

His mothers smile faded into a frown. "I'm here to make sure you're ok. Look, Draco, your father has made mistakes, and while I am still his wife, you are my main priority."

Draco looked at his mother, her face showed no emotion. But he knew this was one of the rare moments she would show him how much she cared.

"But Pansy? Didn't you give father the note from her telling her about me? About what I'd done?"

"I did. Though, I thought it was from you, she'd charmed the envelope to look like your script. I should have found it odd, but I was hoping perhaps you were bridging the gaps between you and your father."

Draco sighed, "I've already told you, Mother. It's never going to happen, especially not after this." He spared another glance over to Hermione's bed.

He and his mother sat in silence for a few moments until she spoke. "You love her, don't you?" She asked, gently.

Draco met his mother's eyes hesitantly; this was definitely not the conversation he wanted to be having with her. He simply nodded.

"I'd like to meet her," said Narcissa, eyeing the bed at the end of the infirmary.

"I doubt she's healthy enough no-," He stopped when Narcissa held up a hand. He knew Hermione probably was healthy enough, but he wanted to know his mothers intentions first.

"I know, she needs time to rest. But I'd like you to bring her home soon, so I can meet the girl who finally made my son see some sense."

Draco gave her a puzzled look, "What do you mean?" His mother had thought him senseless? He didn't know whether to be offended by that, or happy that she seemed to thank Hermione for 'helping' him.

Narcissa gave a knowing smile, "You've followed in your father footsteps your whole life, and despite how much I love your father, I know it wasn't the right path for you. When he was...locked away, you seemed a little lost. Not quite knowing who to be. This girl," she motioned towards Hermione's bed, "seemed to help you see who you really are. I'd been wishing it for you for so long. I never wanted you to make the wrong choices, and I'm proud of the ones you have made."

Narcissa rested her hand on Draco's. He didn't know what to say to her, but he was happy. He was worried he'd have no family after what happened, and he was glad that he would still have his mother.

"I'll let you rest," she said, standing and gathering her cloak, "I'll see you at home after graduation."

She turned to leave, but Draco stopped her with a question. "You really want me to come home?"

"Of course," his mother said without hesitation, or doubt. She turned and left the room through the large doors.

Draco leaned back on his pillow, feeling at ease for the first time in a while. After a few moments he drifted off to sleep.

He awoke the next morning, feeling much better for wear. His muscles were no longer tense from the Cruciatis curse and he was no longer feeling exhausted. Madam Pomfrey was changing the sheets on a few beds not far away from him.

His eyes shifted to the bed up the end of the infirmary, which was still curtained. He swung his legs off the side of his own bed and stepped onto the cool tiled floor. He found his legs were weak from the fact that he hadn't used them in the last couple of days.

He began to slowly make his way to Hermione's bed when Madam Pomfrey spotted him.

"Ah, Mr Malfoy, you're looking much better. I think you might be able to go back to your dorm today."

Draco nodded, "Okay, but can I go see Hermione first?" He asked, looking longingly toward the curtained bed.

"I'm afraid not. She's asleep right now. We've haven't let Mr Potter or Mr Weasley visit either," She added quickly, seeing him open his mouth to complain.

"She's alright though, isn't she?" He asked, concerned. Madam Pomfrey gave him a small smile.

"Yes, she's fine. I've just been asked to keep her sedated for a few days." At Malfoy's confused look, she continued, "Nobody knows what happened to her before they found her in that forest. Poor girl. It's her emotional well-being we're worried about..."

Draco understood what the nurse was trying to say, but he knew no harm had come to Hermione in _that _way; unfortunately he couldn't let anyone know that without giving too much away.

The doors to the hospital wing opened and Draco heard a cheery voice he recognised well.

"Morning, Pops," Blaise said brightly to the nurse. She scowled at him.

"It's Madam Pomfrey, to you, Mr Zabini." She said in an authoritative voice.

Zabini placed a hand on his heart. "I thought we had something special?" He said, in mock sadness.

The nurse didn't look amused, and merely turned to Draco, "You may go, Mr Malfoy. You too, Mr Zabini."

Blaise shrugged and began walking towards the door to wait for Draco; Draco turned to move the curtains around his bed so he could dress, but was stopped by the nurse.

"Oh, and Mr Malfoy," she began reaching into the pocket of her uniform; "I'll return this to Professor McGonagall, will I?"

Draco's eyes widened as he looked down at the gold chain with an hourglass hanging off it. He swallowed nervously, "That would be great, thank you."

The nurse smirked, and moved to let him dress in private. When he was done, he found Blaise waiting at the door for him. They left the hospital wing and walked down the Slytherin common room together.

"Classes have been cancelled for the last couple of days of school," Blaise began, "Most of the students have gone home, except for the 7th years, and their dates. We've got that stupid dance tomorrow, so we have to stay." He made a face.

"I won't be going," said Draco, as they turned a corner.

"Compulsory for all 7th years," he said sadly, "Except for Granger cause she's in the hospital, and Pansy...cause...well, you know."

Draco smirked, "I don't know, actually. What happened to Pansy?"

"Ah, well. She's in trouble, that's for sure. They've got her on a few charges, including attempted murder, and bargaining with Death Eaters. But I think they might be lenient on her because she doesn't have the Dark Mark herself. Last I heard, though, she was looking at a couple of years in Azkaban."

Draco nodded, "She put herself there though." Blaise made a noise of agreement.

They stepped through the portrait of the Slytherin common room, to find a few students scattered around. Some glanced at Draco with mild interest, but mostly no one bothered to look. Slytherins didn't usually whisper and chatter about things, especially when two of their own were involved.

They made their way to the secluded table in the corner, the same table Draco had sat at when he'd hidden in the common room, and they both sat down.

"Wizards chess?" Blaise offered, grabbing the board off an adjacent shelf.

"Sure," Draco said, and they set up the pieces.

"You know," Blaise began, moving his first piece, "For a while there the other day, I thought you weren't gonna come back alive. I was about to go after you, but they wouldn't let me leave once the Aurors came."

Draco looked up at Blaise, who was staring down at his chess piece bitterly.

"Don't worry about it," Draco said, "Everything turned out fine."

"Yea, but it might not have gone so well." Blaise said.

_You're telling me, _thought Draco. He was thankful that the Aurors had stopped Blaise from following him again, he knew how that had turned out the first time, and he wasn't sure he'd forgive himself if it had happened a second time.

"I'm just glad you're alright," said Blaise, slightly uncomfortable at being so open, "Granger, too."

"I'm glad too," commented Draco, "Not sure what I would've done if I'd lost her." He already knew what it felt like, and he didn't want to feel that again.

"Now, now, don't go getting all emotional on me," Blaise joked, watching his knight beat apart one of Draco's pawns.

Draco smirked, "You're just hurt because I wouldn't cry over you."

Blaise chuckled, "You probably would though, who wouldn't?"

Little did Blaise know, Draco would, and already had cried over losing him, and Hermione. He'd never tell a soul that though. What happened with the time turner was his secret.

Both boys chuckled at Blaise's lack of modesty, and went back to their game of chess.

In the Hospital Wing, Hermione awoke with a splitting headache. She looked around the empty hospital wing, and her heart began to race. The last thing she remembered was Draco hexing the Death Eaters, and then it all went black.

The fact that he wasn't in the hospital wing worried her; she only hoped it was because he was alright. She sat up and immediately regretted it when her head starting throbbing unbearably.

"Good to see you awake, dear." Hermione looked up to see Madam Pomfrey bustling over, with a vial, "Take this, its help with the headache. You did come in with a concussion, so I imagine it's quite bad."

Hermione gratefully took the vial and downed the potion. Her headache immediately ceased, and she let out a relieved sigh.

"Madam Pomfrey," Hermione said suddenly, handing the woman the empty vial, "What happened to Draco Malfoy? Here was there with me...he didn't...I mean, he's not-," The woman held up a hand to stop Hermione.

"Relax, dear. He's perfectly fine. I discharged him this morning," she brought Hermione a tray of porridge, toast and some pumpkin juice, "He seemed just as concerned about you, as well." The nurse gave Hermione a small smile, causing the girl to blush.

"Have Harry and Ron been in at all?" Hermione asked, attempting to change the subject.

"Oh yes, they come every morning hoping to see you, I've been sending them away until you got better."

Hermione frowned. "Am I allowed to go see them?"

"I'm afraid not, dear," said Madam Pomfrey, "I've been told to keep you in here until Saturday morning. Don't fret though; I'm sure they'll be here soon. They always are." The nurse shook her head good naturedly and left Hermione to finish her breakfast.

Madam Pomfrey was correct. No less than ten minutes after Hermione finished her porridge did the door open, revealing a raven and red haired boy. They looked fearfully at the door to the nurse's office and Hermione barely stifled a giggle at their antics.

They looked over at the noise and two identical grins adorned their faces.

"Hermione! You're alright-," cried Ron.

"We were really worried-," interrupted Harry, over the top of Ron's ranting.

"-barely eaten at all, that's how worried I was-," Ron continued.

"-what were you thinking going off by yourself-," cried Harry.

"-you going to eat that toast?" Ron asked, eyeing her tray.

"You should have talked to us!" Finished Harry, looking tired and stressed.

Hermione frowned, "I'm sorry, Harry. It's just, there are some things I knew you wouldn't understand; and no I'm not, you can have it, Ron."

Harry frowned as Ron grabbed Hermione's toast and began munching away. "We already know everything now," Harry said, "McGonagall told us when you were missing."

Hermione hesitated, "So...you know about-"

"Malfoy?" Harry interjected, "Yea we know about you and him."

Hermione looked down at her hands, "I'm sorry Harry please don't be mad. It's not something I can ask you to understand, because I barely understand myself, but I just...I care about him."

Harry looked displeased, and Ron was looking at his feet. Hermione was suddenly worried that she'd said the wrong thing. Maybe they couldn't accept how she felt; maybe they would make her choose?

"We know, Mione," Ron said gently, breaking the silence, "I think if I can get past it, Harry can manage as well. I mean, I did want to beat him senseless, but the feeling passed quite quickly."

Harry nodded, "And he did go after you, so I guess that shows he at least cares for you too...he's still a ferret though." Harry added quickly.

He, Hermione and Ron laughed. Old beliefs die hard, Hermione supposed.

"If that's the worst reaction you've got, I'm happy," Hermione said, smiling at her two friends.

"So will you be at the ball?" Ron asked, turning the conversation onto a brighter topic.

"I'm afraid not," Hermione said frowning, "I've got to stay here until Saturday morning, when we go home...I hope I haven't ruined your night, Ron, I know we were supposed to go together." Hermione added quickly.

Harry smirked, "Ron's already got himself a new date lined up," he said, eyeing Ron, who was red as a beetroot.

"Is that so, Ron," Hermione said, with mock indignation, "I haven't even been gone three days and you already replaced me!" She put her hand on her heart, feigning hurt.

Ron grinned, "Come on, Mione. It was getting difficult fight all the ladies off. I eventually just gave in." He shrugged.

Harry and Hermione burst into fits of laughter, earning a loud "Shhh!" from within Madam Pomfrey's office.

"So who's the lucky lady?" Hermione asked, still grinning.

"Luna Lovegood," Ron answered smiling, "I mean she's a bit barmy, but once she stops talking about Crumply Horned Snorvels, or whatever they're called, she's pretty cool."

Hermione smiled, noticing the way Ron's eyes twinkled when he spoke of the Ravenclaw. He didn't even realise he was already smitten with the girl; oh, he didn't know what was coming. Hermione smirked.

The three spent the rest of the morning chatting, until the boys were eventually shooed out by Madam Pomfrey when their laughter became too loud.

Hermione spent the rest of the day wondering what Draco was doing. She was glad Ron and Harry seemed indifferent about the whole thing. Even if they weren't exactly pleased, it was better than being completely against it.

Then again, had Draco actually confirmed that they were still going to do whatever this was after they finished school? She suddenly became worried, and was only stopped when Madam Pomfrey seemed to notice her distress and brought her a calming draught. Hermione was puzzled however, when she mentioned something about 'forgetting the experience soon'. Hermione shrugged though, and downed the potion, falling into a blissful sleep once her mind was free of all thoughts.

Draco stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom of his dorm, fixing his robes. It was the night of the Graduation Ball, and he was scowling at his reflection, sulking about the fact that he was being forced to go, when the only way he would look forward to it was if Hermione was there too. He hadn't managed to see her yet, and it was starting to get to him.

He stepped out of his dorm to find Blaise waiting for him, already dressed in his robes, wearing a similar look of sulkiness., despite the fact he actually had a date.

"Ready?" He asked, standing up from his chair, and brushing his robes down flat.

"Yeah, let's go," answered Draco. They made their way out the portrait hole, and headed towards the great hall.

Students were piling into the great hall, dates on their arm, dressed in their fanciest robes. Blaise met up with his date, a sixth year Ravenclaw girl, and they walked in together. The hall was decorated in house colours. There were large banners on each wall, and each table was covered in a table cloth the same colour as the house. Candles were floating around, and the enchanted ceiling sparkled down upon them, showing a clear night sky.

After everyone was settled, they made their way to their tables for the feast. McGonagall rose and gave a speech, along with the other Heads of House. They ate a magnificent feast, though Draco had no appetite for it, and once they were all done the tables moved to the side and the hall was cleared to make way for a dance floor.

A small classical band had been hired, and while it wasn't the first choice of music for the students, they danced anyway. Blaise's date stole him away for a dance, and while there were a few dateless girls eyeing Draco, he was not in the mood for it.

He looked around the room for a moment, the teachers were occupied, waltzing around, and the students were distracted too. No one would see him if he slipped out, and that's exactly what he decided to do.

He managed to squeeze out the door without drawing attention to himself, and began walking to the Hospital wing.

Ten minutes later he was standing outside the large doors, pushing them open. The only bed occupied in the whole room was Hermione's at the end. He walked over and pulled back the curtains.

Hermione jumped at the sudden appearance of someone, but when she saw who it was she grinned.

Draco smirked, "Bit jumpy, Granger?"

She scoffed. "You would be too, if you'd just been attacked by Death Eaters."

"Ah, but I'm not," he said, causing her to realise her mistake, "I _am_ a lot tougher then you though, so..." He shrugged.

Hermione laughed, "It hasn't seemed to have damaged your ego, either." Draco smirked, sitting on the edge of her bed.

"You look sophisticated," she teased, eyeing his robes. He noticed the look of disappointment on your face.

"You're not missing much, Granger. Do you think I'd be up here if it was enjoyable?"

Hermione thought for a moment, "Well maybe my company is even more enjoyable?" She grinned.

"That's true," he said, grinning back.

"So can you tell me what happened the other day? I was sort of unconscious for most of it..." She said, wryly.

"Well I thought we were fine, then Pansy showed up, helped the Death Eaters, and I'm not really sure what happened," he lied, "but then the Aurors showed up. Pansy had planned it all."

Hermione looked shocked, "I can't believe she'd go that far," said Hermione is disbelief, "She's in trouble for it, right?"

Draco nodded, "Yea, probably a little time in Azkaban. Too lenient if you ask me."

"Well she put herself there, didn't she?" Hermione commented, still looking thoughtful.

Draco smirked at her, "That's what I said." Hermione smiled.

"So did your family react badly?" Hermione asked. She assumed they would know by now. Everyone would know by now.

Draco gave a one shouldered shrug, "Don't know about my father, but my mother visited me yesterday."

Hermione sat up straight, "And?"

"And she wants to meet you."

Hermione slumped back down, looking shocked, "She wants to meet me?_ Me?_"

Draco nodded, "She not angry...she seems to understand. Anyway, I was thinking this summer before you start your Healer training you could come and stay at the manor for a while?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow, "You want me to come and stay there?"

He gave her an odd look, "Of course."

They fell into silence, the only noise coming from the great hall, where a slow, sensual song was being played by the band. Draco stood and held out his hand toward Hermione. She eyed it curiously.

"You were disappointed about missing the ball, so we'll make our own ball," he grabbed her by the hand and pulled her out of the hospital bed.

Hermione stood awkwardly as he placed one of her hand on his shoulder, and grasped the other with his own. He slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her so close she could feel the heat coming off him.

He began to spin her around to the music and Hermione was certain this was much better than the celebrations going on downstairs. They eventually fell into a slow swaying rhythm, as Hermione rested her head on his chest, and he rested his cheek on the crown of her head.

"Hermione?" Draco whispered softly.

"Yes?" She answered, in the same soft whisper, not wanting to break the daze she was in.

"Well, I...I just...I feel I should say," he hesitated and Hermione pulled back to look at him. She was surprised to see the pink tinge his cheeks held. Was he nervous? She never thought she'd see the day.

"I care about you," he spat out as quickly as he could, "a lot..." he added.

He seemed to be battling with himself, and didn't notice Hermione smiling.

"Oh, bloody hell, I love you, alright? See, it's not that hard to say, you idiot." He hissed to himself; scolding himself for his lack of courage.

If Hermione hadn't been so shocked, she might have laughed at his internal battle, but all she could do was stare at him, mouth agape. He seemed to take this badly.

"Did I say the wrong thing?" He asked, rather awkwardly. It was definitely out of character for him.

Hermione snapped back to reality, "Of course not," she said quickly, smiling up at him, "That's what I needed to hear, because I...well, I love you too," she blushed, "I was starting to worry you might not feel the same." She admitted, still blushing.

"That's what I thought," he said, smiling, before teasing her, "Lucky I had the courage to say it, otherwise where would we be? So much for Gryffindor courage." He shook his head in mock disappointment as she swatted him arm.

"You'll be in one of those hospital beds in a minute," she teased, as they began to sway again, falling back into comfortable silence.

Madam Pomfrey came back in hours later to find the two innocently asleep on Hermione's bed, and given that they were leaving tomorrow; she decided not to wake them.

The next morning, Hermione was discharged and carried her trunk, which McGonagall had packed for her, down to the not-so-horseless carriages. She fit into one with Harry, Ron and Ginny, and smiled at Draco as he walked past with Blaise.

She knew it would be pushing her friends too far to have them sit together, so they'd decided they would sit with their friends. After all, this would be the last journey they would make from Hogwarts and it was something to be remembered with those they'd spent it with for the past seven years.

As they made it to Hogsmeade Station, students began to pile onto the train with their trunks. Harry, Ron and Ginny went ahead to find an empty compartment, as Hermione walked slower looking around for a flash of blonde hair. She didn't find him and hopped on the train, feeling a little disappointed, until a warm hand caught her around the wrist. She spun to look at the grinning face of Draco.

"Running away without saying goodbye?" He teased as he moved them away from the door.

"I didn't see you," she said, unable to stop smiling. Blaise stepped through the door before seeing them.

"I'll find a compartment," he said to Draco, moving past, before smirking, "have a good summer Granger, I might see you around."

Hermione blushed, as Draco grinned at his best friend. They whistle blew and the doors of the train began to close.

"I should probably go put my stuff away, but come find me before you leave Kings Cross," she nodded, as he placed a quick kiss on her head.

"I'll owl you when I get home too, so we can organise this summer," he said, he turned back to her and grinned, before walking down the aisle. Hermione watched him go with a mixture of sadness and excitement, before rolling her trunk behind her as she went to find the compartment her friends were in.

She entered it to find Ginny resting her head on Harry's shoulder, while he and Ron played Exploding Snap. She stopped to take in the scene, knowing it would be the last time they'd ever be like this.

"Come join in, Mione," Ron called to her, never taking his eyes off the cards, "I'll kick all your asses."

Hermione stepped in and took the seat beside Ron. "Don't get too cocky, Ron."

He simply scoffed, "Why not?", before all the cards exploded in his face, leaving it black and covered soot, his hair at all different angles.

"That's why," Ginny commented, and they all fell into bouts of laughter as Ron grumbled.

Over in Draco's compartment, he and Blaise were sitting in comfortable silence staring out the window. Draco watched as Hogwarts got smaller and smaller in the distance, and while he felt like he was saying goodbye to his home, he knew there were better things to come.

For the first time in Draco's life, he felt like he had a bright future that he hoped would be filled with laughter, happiness, and most importantly, _Hermione_.

**A/N: OMG, I'm done! :D**

**I'd just wanna say thanks to everyone who has read this story, it means a lot to me.**

**I hope you've enjoyed reading this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it. I'm actually kind of sad haha ah well, perhaps I'll meet you in another story if mine?**

**Cheers!**

**Leni**


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